Trials, Tribulations and Triumph
by DustLight126
Summary: After their final visit to Narnia, Anna begins her new life with the Pevensies. But living in a country torn apart by war and it's devastating consequences, she now has a new set of challenges to face. Anna will need her new family more than ever as they attempt to stand together through the many trials and tribulations of life. But will they be a family united or divided? Peter/OC
1. Chapter 1

Hello again everyone, and welcome back! I'm really excited to start the final story of this series, and the support you've all shown for it's predecessors has been amazing and motivated me to continue, so a massive thank you for that and long may it continue! The format of this story will be similar to Dreams, Desires and Destiny where there will be no definitive recurring plot line, but will rather consist of several story arcs, one shots and drabbles spanning from 1942 until the train crash in The Last Battle in 1949. I have no idea how long it will take me to update this time, but I would expect a week at the very least depending on how much school work I am given, although I do aim to produce at least one chapter a month. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and feel free to leave a review and let me know what you think!

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August 1942

It was the summer of 1942, and Peter and I had spent the last few months with Professor Kirke studying for our University entrance exams; Peter having chosen to pursue a degree in medicine while I had decided to study English as my main subject, and then undertaking my exam to qualify as a teacher in my final year. When our results and offers had arrived last week, both of us had comfortably surpassed the minimum marks required, though Peter had done so by miles. Then again, he was the one who had sometimes stayed up until three or four in the morning studying, where as I had normally given up by about eleven or twelve.

After reviewing all of our options, we had both decided on Kingston University to study at, both of us requiring four years to complete our chosen courses. We were a little nervous about beginning life at University, but looking forward to it at the same time. It would be another change to our lives preceding all of the others we'd had to endure, but at least this time we were now a step closer to living our own lives again.

When we had returned to England this time everyone, including Peter, had adjusted much better than the time before. But while his siblings weren't able to see it, in the few classes we had shared and the free time we had spent together, I had seen several glimpses of High King Peter. This was normally when Roger and his gang tried to irritate Peter again, though, but it was better than starting a fight and risking suspension or expulsion. Of course, we all still missed Narnia, though I had seen Edmund and Lucy off to their cousins house for the summer with a knowing smile for the final adventure they would have, only made all the more comical by their disgruntled looks and less than pleased expressions when I had happily told them to enjoy themselves. But now we were all going to be reunited for the first time in several months; Susan and her parents having returned from America two weeks previously and Edmund and Lucy arriving in Finchley the week after. Peter and I had just waited for our results before organising our return to London, where Mr and Mrs Pevensie had very kindly offered to take me in again for the three weeks before we would move in to the University dorms.

Although I had enjoyed my previous stay with them, I was glad of the Professor becoming my legal guardian during my time at Hendon House, and it had eased everyone's mind knowing that I now had somewhere to go other than the Pevensies. Although everyone was sad to have to see him let go of his beautiful manor, including the wardrobe that had started everything (the war had not failed to touch him either, it seemed), his new house on the outskirts of London was still quite a decent size with plenty of room for the three of us, and it was usually very peaceful. That is, until this morning when we were due to leave for our train in fifteen minutes.

"Peter, would you please hurry up? We'll miss our train!" I admonished as he ran around his room.

"I can't find my ticket!" he exclaimed, forcefully pulling open a drawer and slamming it shut when he realised it was empty.

I started to laugh and Peter spun around to face me, "What is it?" he asked with confusion.

"You can't find your ticket because _I_ have it, you eejit." I reminded him.

"You know, you never did tell me what that meant." he countered as he joined me and we walked out towards the main sitting area.

"That's because it's better if you didn't know." I called as I walked down the narrow hallway in front of him. Peter didn't have time to reply due to the Professor appearing, his head bent so as to read the book in his hands.

He glanced up when he heard us approaching, "You'll miss your train if you don't hurry up." he said in a matter of fact tone.

"Peter forgot that I had his ticket, so he was practically tearing the room apart trying to find it." I explained.

"As I recall, you never were very good at keeping track of all of your text books, Mr Pevensie." the Professor said to Peter evenly. Peter's cheeks flushed slightly as I bit back a smile, recalling all of the times he had very nearly torn the Professor's study and library apart trying to find one book or another.

"Are you ready?" Peter asked.

I nodded, before turning to the Professor with a small smile, "Goodbye, Professor. And thank you for everything." I said sincerely, and I was surprised to see a small smile form on his lips, "Goodbye, Miss O'Brien, Mr Pevensie." he answered simply, nodding to both of us in turn. I returned his smile, as did Peter, before we walked out of the door with our suitcases in hand.

When the door had closed behind us, Peter and I paused and glanced at each other, "Shall we?" he asked with a small smile. I placed my hand in his as my answer, and we walked down the road hand in hand towards the train station. When we reached it, we easily found our train and boarded it, though from Peter's antics earlier we only just managed to make it with five minutes to spare, and it wasn't long until the train began speeding towards Finchley.

"I don't know about you, but I'm really looking forward to hearing about what Lu and Ed got up to in Narnia." Peter said with a smile as he sat opposite me.

"Yes, there's nothing quite like listening to Lucy tell a story." I replied with a laugh. The letter she had sent us was very brief, but she had mentioned that her, Edmund and Eustace had been pulled in to Narnia and met up with Caspian again, setting sail with him and his crew on the Dawn Treader.

"Even if you've already heard it before?" he asked, his smile never fading.

I grinned back, "Yes, even then." I confirmed.

xXx

After two hours, the train finally pulled in to Finchley's main station, Peter and I unable to stop ourselves from looking out of the window to try and spot his siblings or parents.

"Look, they're over there." Peter said excitedly, pointing to further down the platform where I finally saw them. We both immediately reached for our luggage and all but ran off the train and down the platform towards them. Lucy was the first to spot us, and she beamed in our direction before turning to her family and pointing us out. Susan and Lucy collided in to me when we reached them, and I threw my arms around them as we all laughed giddily. Peter, on the other hand, had been claimed by his mother who hugged him tightly. Over Lucy's shoulder, I could see Edmund and his father standing next to each other; a smirk on Edmund's face and a calm smile on Mr Pevensie's.

Once I had been released by his sisters and they had attacked Peter, Edmund approached me. "Are you too old for hugs now?" I asked.

"I think I can make one exception." he replied. I laughed before pulling him into a hug, "I hate to admit it, but I've missed you." I said as we broke apart.

"I have to say the same." Edmund added, his smirk returning.

"It's wonderful to see you again, Anna." Mr Pevensie said from behind his son, who stepped aside to allow his father to shake my hand.

"And you, Mr Pevensie." I responded with a smile.

"I hope you kept Peter in check during your stay with the professor."

I laughed, "He was a handful at times, but I think I managed well enough." I joked, emitting a smile from the older man. It wasn't hard to see who Peter resembled; while the others received their dark hair and pale complexions from their mother, Peter had the same fair hair and darker skin as his father. Not to mention the same smile.

"And Anna, dear, how are you?" Mrs Pevensie suddenly exclaimed from behind me, giving me a hug as I turned to face her.

"Very well, thank you." I replied.

"I trust you and Peter enjoyed your stay with the professor?" she asked as we all began to leave the station and walk the short distance to the house.

"We did send you letters, mum." Peter pointed out with a laugh.

"Yes, I know that dear, but it's always better to hear about these things first hand." she replied.

"We did enjoy it, but Professor Kirke had both of us working very hard." I said, answering her earlier question.

"And your excellent results showed that! Now, we'll all go in to town next week and get you both everything you need, and then..." Peter and I exchanged a look, smiling at his mother's needless worrying and her tendency to always be overly prepared. When we reached the house, the first thing Peter and I did was empty our suitcases, with Susan helping me while Peter dragged Edmund into their room against his will to help him.

"Is that all of your stuff then, Anna?" Susan asked as she folded my last blouse and placed it in the drawer.

"I think so. Thanks for helping me by the way, Su." I replied, placing my small suitcase in the bottom of the wardrobe. I stood back and looked around the room, comforted by it's familiarity. Susan and Lucy's bed was on either side of the room, with a small camp bed in between that had been erected by Mr Pevensie for me. The only other furnishings were a sturdy wooden wardrobe and a small desk for working and writing letters on.

"Do you want to go outside for a little bit? I need to go for a walk." I said to Susan as she brushed her hair.

"Oh no, definitely not. Hannah Smyth is outside and I don't want to run in to her." she answered disparagingly.

I raised an eyebrow at Susan, "Why, what's so bad about her?" I asked with a laugh.

"You'll see what I mean if you get the..._pleasure_ of meeting her yourself." Susan said briskly.

"Why do I get the feeling you're over exaggerating slightly?" I replied teasingly.

"I'm not, even ask Lucy or Peter or Edmund." she argued.

"I'll meet her first and then form a more unbiased opinion, thank you Su." I replied with a smile.

Susan rolled her eyes, "Fine. But you don't know what you're getting yourself in to!"

I laughed, "We are Queens of Narnia, Susan. I have handled far worse than a snotty teenage girl." I reminded her. At my reply, Susan suddenly became very quiet, and slowly sat on the bed with a far off glazed look in her eyes. I immediately realised my mistake and mentally kicked myself before sitting next to her.

"I'm sorry, that was quite insensitive of me." I apologised.

Susan shook her head, "It's not that, it's just...Oh Anna, will we really never go back?" she asked desperately.

"You know as well as I do what Aslan said, Susan." I said gently. Susan remained silent, and gave me no reply.

"I know you're still upset about Caspian, but he isn't the only boy out there." I pointed out.

Susan sighed, "I know that, but I still wish I'd had the chance to have more time with him." she said sadly.

I put an arm around her shoulder then as she stared wistfully at the floor, "It was just how things were meant to be this time. But that doesn't mean you won't find someone here. Who knows what'll happen?" I encouraged her.

Susan stood abruptly, "It's easy for you to say that; you and Peter got to stay together. You don't know what it is to have to say goodbye to someone like that." she snapped.

I was quite taken a back by her sudden outburst, and slowly rose from the bed, "You're right, I don't know what it would be like to have to say goodbye to Peter. But I do know how it feels to let go of someone you love." I reminded her. Susan stopped and looked silently at me for a moment before turning and walking from the room. I sighed and sat heavily on the bed, only for Lucy to enter as Susan left. Upon seeing the dark look on her sisters face and her silence, Lucy looked at me with a questioning look and sat next to me.

"I'm afraid I may have upset Susan." I explained.

"How so?" Lucy asked.

"I made the mistake of mentioning Caspian." I answered.

"Ah, that explains it then."

"I wasn't trying to deliberately hurt her, it just sort of came up. I told Susan that she would find someone else, and then she started talking about how I don't know what it feels like to have to say goodbye to someone like that. I know losing Emma and Josh was different to her saying goodbye to Caspian, but that doesn't mean I can't empathise with her at all." I said quietly.

"I trust you remember the incident with Rabaddash?" Lucy asked with a slight smile.

I chuckled, "How could I not?"

"Well, you'll remember then how she cried for days after it and was sullen for the entire week, but it wasn't until you talked to her that she saw sense. Susan probably knows what you're saying is right, even I've tried to explain this to her, but it also depends whether or not she'll want to hear that will determine her reaction." Lucy said knowingly. I stared at the young girl before me, wondering how in the world she had transformed from the care free, innocent ten year old I had first come to know, to the now knowledgeable and wise thirteen year old that sat next to me.

"You know, Lu, I've never met a thirteen year old more mature than you." I told her sincerely, and she gave me a small smile.

"We ruled a country for fifteen years, I would hope that I would at least have some levels of maturity. Although the same couldn't be said for my brothers." she added with a laugh.

"I have to agree with you on that, Lu." I replied, also laughing.

"I do have my moments, though." she admitted slowly.

I knew exactly what she was referring to, "You're a teenager, Lucy. Trust me, I'll bet even Susan felt the same as you when she was your age. Even I did, just like every other teenage girl. And remember, not only would your brothers and sisters not know about Narnia, but I wouldn't even be here either." I reminded her.

"I know that, and I promise I'll never do something that stupid again. Oh Anna, the dream was truly awful. First of all, I didn't exist, and then when I asked Peter where you were he didn't have clue who I was talking about, and neither did Edmund! He thought I was talking about that awful Margaret girl that he used to like!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, I remember him saying something about her." I replied, retrieving a nearly forgotten memory from our early years at Cair Paravel. "But never mind about that, the point is that I think you've learned from the experience." I added.

Lucy nodded, "Though I wish I hadn't, just so that I could go back one more time." she said sadly.

"We all wish that, but sometimes it's better just to let things go. And remember, you can still find Aslan here." I reminded her gently.

"Lucy, Anna, could you come down here please?" Mrs Pevensie called up the stairs before Lucy could reply.

"We'd better go see what she wants." Lucy said as we stood before she stopped and turned to me, "Thanks, Anna."

I gave her a questioning look, "What for?" I asked.

"For not yelling at me like Peter or Susan would have." she replied with a smile.

I laughed, "There's time for that yet." I joked as we walked down the stairs, finding Mrs Pevensie in the kitchen.

"Ah, there you are girls. I was wondering if you could help put these groceries away while I make lunch?" she asked as she picked up an apron and put it on.

"Of course, mum." Lucy replied, "Where are Peter, Susan and Edmund anyway?" she questioned as we began to sort through the groceries.

"Peter and Edmund are away with your father to fix the car, and Susan said she was going to the park, though I told her that she had to be back by now." Mrs Pevensie answered, "Though she seemed quite upset. Would either of you know anything about that?" she added.

I immediately felt guilty and opened my mouth to reply, but Lucy beat me to it, "No, mum. I don't know what's wrong with her." she said innocently, and her mother didn't suspect a thing. I raised an eyebrow at her when her mother had her back turned, but Lucy just shook her head.

Peter, Edmund and their father returned a short while later, and Susan arrived just after them. When questioned, she insisted she had just gone to meet a friend and that everything was perfectly fine, all the while with a serene smile on her face. Neither of her parents chose to pursue the matter any further, and neither did we, though I had to explain to Peter and Edmund what had happened later that evening, the former saying he had a good mind to kill her for the comments. Thankfully, Edmund, Lucy and I were able to dissuade him from doing so. While Mr and Mrs Pevensie went to visit a friend that night, the five of us sat in the living room and listened to Edmund and Lucy tell their story. When they had finished, Peter was the first to speak.

"Eustace was really a _dragon_?" he asked with disbelief.

"Never mind that, but he was actually helpful and kind?" Susan questioned, her shock mirroring that of her brothers.

"As hard as that may be for you to believe, yes he was." Edmund confirmed with a smirk.

"I'm sorry, but I refuse to believe that until I actually see it for myself." Peter said defiantly.

"Give the boy a chance, Peter. He really has changed!" Lucy answered, defending her cousin loyally.

"Ok, Lu. But I still can't quite picture it to be honest." he replied dubiously.

"So how was Caspian?" Susan asked nonchalantly, though it was no secret to any of us why she was really asking.

"Settling in nicely to his new role as King, it seemed." Edmund answered.

"Yes, though he said he missed having you three around." Lucy added.

"I would like to think so." Peter added jokingly.

I scoffed, "After the hard time you gave the poor boy in the beginning, I wouldn't have been surprised if he had said he didn't miss you at all!" I teased.

"What can I say, my natural charm eventually wins everyone over." he replied with a straight face, though the mischievous glimmer in his eyes gave him away.

I laughed, "It's yet to work on me, though." I challenged playfully.

"I would have to disagree with you." he argued, raising an eyebrow.

"Would you two please cut it out?" Edmund interjected, Peter and I descending in to laughter at everyone's expressions.

"We were just messing around, guys. Calm down." I assured them, trying to contain my laughter.

"We'd rather you did it in a less sickening fashion, thank you." Edmund dead panned.

"Oh, shut up." Peter said, rolling his eyes and swatting at his brothers arm.

"You can't say anything, Edmund. The look on your face when you first saw Lilliandil and then when she offered to change her appearance was priceless!" Lucy added brightly, much to her brother's chagrin.

"Caspian was rather smitten too, you know." he argued, and I knew Lucy had the exact same urge to hit him over the head as I was having. We exchanged a look as the room fell silent, and by Edmund's expression he knew he'd said the wrong thing.

"I'm going to read." Susan said quickly with a dark look, and she hastily made her exit.

"Well done, Ed." Lucy said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, I forgot about the whole Caspian thing. She needs to get over him anyway." he replied with a shrug.

"It's not that simple, you idiot." Peter pointed out.

"I'll go see if she's ok." Lucy volunteered, walking out of the door and slowly ascending the staircase. She had just reached the top of them when the phone began to ring.

"I'll get that." Peter said, leaving Edmund and I alone in the living room.

"I have to say, the story was very nicely edited." I said, raising an eyebrow at Edmund. "You won't tell Peter about it, will you?" he asked a little fearfully.

"About trying to enlist or the rivalry with Caspian?" I asked innocently.

"Both."

"I won't say anything about either, but just know that if you try to sign up again that I will kill you, then tell him and let you be killed all over again." I warned.

"Dully noted." Edmund answered.

There was a short silence before I spoke again, "Peter did want you to have the sword, though." I revealed.

"He did? How do you know?" he asked, seeming a little surprised.

"When we received Lucy's letter and he discovered you'd gone to Narnia again, one of the first things that he said was 'I hope Caspian had my sword with him and let Edmund use it'." I told him.

"So _that's_ why he was smiling when I told him I'd used it." Edmund muttered. We heard Peter set the phone down and begin to walk back to the living room, and so we ended the conversation there.

"That was mum and dad, they're on their way back home now." he informed us, sitting next to me again.

"I'd better go make something for them to eat, then." Edmund said, standing and then making his way in to the kitchen.

"Are you glad to be home?" I asked once Edmund was out of earshot.

Peter nodded, "I've missed us all being together, though sometimes I'm glad of the peace without my siblings." he replied with a laugh.

"Yes, because it's always peaceful with me around." I joked.

"You have your moments, but I can tolerate you." Peter joked with a smile.

"Still as gentlemanly as ever, I see." I replied teasingly.

"I thought that was a rather generous comment." he said, pretending to be completely surprised by my response.

"Careful, or you may get that ring back." I teased.

"Ok, ok, I love having you around and being able to see you smile and hear you laugh everyday. How's that?" he said, smiling widely down at me.

"A little less of the cheesy romance, and you're forgiven." I responded with a laugh.

"But it's why you love me." Peter countered.

"Now _that_ is dangerous knowledge." I said.

"So does this mean you keep the ring?" he asked innocently.

"For now." I teased.

"But you have to promise me one thing." he added.

I raised an eyebrow, "Which would be...?"

"I get to marry you again."

"You'll have to ask me to marry you first."

"I intend to."


	2. Chapter 2

Hello again everyone! As you can see, it's going to take me a little longer to update for this story. Part of the problem is a lack of time at the moment, and also due to the fact that this is definitely the hardest story of the series to write because I am having to write totally original material that is not in Narnia with only familiar characters to work with. But hey, I love a challenge, and it'll be good to help me develop as a writer! I will try and update as frequently as I can, although I'm on work experience this week (God help the children I have to teach) so time will be even more limited I'm afraid! But regardless, I'd like to say a huge thank you to all of you who have already followed, favourited and reviewed this story, because I really appreciate it! I hope you all enjoy this chapter too.

Susan Viktorija: Thank you :) I'm not sure what you mean, are you referring to the spin off? If so, I am still working on that but it won't be published until later as I have a plan to tie it in with this story.

Lairyfight: Thank you, I'm really glad you enjoyed it! I'm sure Peter will ask her, though we'll just have to see how long it will take him! And she most definitely will, as i think any of us would if we were to find ourselves in a technologically and socially backward society compared to the one we knew, and I plan on making it a part of this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER: Thank you! I hope you like this chapter too :)

Guest: Your review put the biggest smile on my face! Thank you so much! There's definitely some amazing stories in this fandom, and I'm really touched that you think it's one of the best :)

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September 1942

"Now, are you sure you have your ticket, dear?" Mrs Pevensie asked Peter for what must have been the millionth time since we'd left the house, and I fought back a smile at his disgruntled expression.

"Yes, mum." he said with exasperation, and Lucy and I grinned at each other.

"And you both have everything you need packed?" she queried, glancing from Peter to me.

"I know that I do." I assured her with a small smile, before looking at Peter.

"Yes, I do have everything before you start on me too." he answered, trying to sound annoyed but failing from the smile he was wearing.

"Just checking." I replied brightly.

"I'm sure you were." he muttered, but I chose to ignore him as Susan and Lucy approached me and we embraced each other.

"I'll miss having you two around." I told them.

"Yes, I don't know how you'll stay sane with just Peter!" Lucy teased as I laughed.

"I heard that, Lu!" Peter called as he spoke with his father.

"Well, if I've done it once I can do it again." I said quietly to Lucy with a grin so that her parents wouldn't hear, and she grinned back at me. But when I glanced at Susan, there was a pained look in her eyes, and when I caught her gaze she blinked and it immediately disappeared, a smile appearing on her face that did not reach her eyes.

"Are you all right, Su?" I asked tentatively.

"Yes, It's just that I'm going to miss you so much!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around me.

"Sure you are, Susan. Admit it, you're just looking forward to getting your vanity mirror back to yourself." I teased as I hugged her back, choosing to ignore her earlier behaviour.

Susan laughed, as did Lucy, "And don't forget the wardrobe space." Lucy added with a giggle.

Susan rolled her eyes at her sister and I, "You make me sound so vain."

"That's because you are." Edmund quipped lightly as he joined us, before he turned to me.

"Do you think you could endure one more hug?" I asked.

"Only if I have to." he replied, but his smile gave him away. I quickly pulled him in to a fierce hug before he could object, and he chuckled quietly in my ear.

"Are you really going to miss me that much?" he teased.

"Certainly not your mouth and caustic wit, no." I joked.

"And I most definitely won't miss you, Ed." Peter added with a smile as he joined us.

"Thanks, Pete. What happened to sibling camaraderie and all of that?" he asked, seeming a little put out.

"You're incredibly dramatic when you want to be, you know that?" Peter replied with a laugh.

"You sound surprised." Edmund replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Come on, you two, or the train will leave without you!" Mrs Pevensie chided, appearing next to us before anyone could reply.

"Don't worry mum, we've got plenty of time." Peter assured her.

"You've only got five minutes, and you still need to find a seat! Go on, off you go." she said, giving both of us a final hug before gently nudging us in the direction of the train. I looked over my shoulder at Susan, Edmund and Lucy, giving each of them a small smile which they returned with a wave. But before we stepped on to the train, Mr Pevensie stopped us.

"Peter, Anna." he called quietly, the others dutifully turning away and consoling their mother who was trying hard to suppress her tears. Peter and I stopped before turning to face him, both of us curious about what he would have to say. "Before you go, let me give you some advice. Work hard, don't get mixed up with the kids who like to party all night and sleep all day. But remember to keep a balance, and find time to spend with each other and your other friends. And above all, respect each other and don't take this for granted, though I think you both know that already." he told us firmly.

"Thanks, dad. We'll remember that." Peter assured him.

Mr Pevensie nodded, "Good man. Now off you go, before your mother decides to try and stop you. And good luck, both of you." he added, a hint of a smile on his lips.

We quickly found two empty seats quite near to where the others were standing on the platform, and we were able to wave goodbye as the train sped off, Lucy running along the side and waving to us until she reached the end of the platform, and Peter and I waved back at her until the train rounded a corner and she disappeared from sight. I leaned back against the seat, sad to have to say goodbye again, but also looking forward to arriving at the university.

"We'll be back at mid term, you know." Peter reminded me, easily able to guess what I was thinking.

"I know. But it still won't be the same." I replied, turning to look at him. He slipped his hand in to mine as his answer and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Don't worry, I'm sure there'll be plenty of chaos in the dorms once we arrive." he added with a smile. We would be staying in dorms located on the campus, so there was no need to worry about where we would go once we arrived.

"Do you know who you're staying with?" I asked. Peter paused for a moment as he recalled the names printed on the letter we had received a few weeks ago.

"I think the names were Thomas Rutherford and William Connolly. What about you?"

I frowned, unable to remember the names for a moment, "Ummmm...Let me think."

Peter laughed, "How do you expect to remember your lessons if you can't even remember two names?" he teased.

"Shush you." I said, swatting lightly at his arm before I finally remembered the names. "I think it was Charlotte Campbell and Alice Hughes."

"Well, let's just hope they're as normal as their names."

"What sort of people do you expect to be roomed with?!"

"I'm just saying, you never know."

"Peter, we've lived with dryads, fauns and centaurs and we were Kings and Queens of another world. What exactly is your definition of a normal roommate?"

"Touché."

xXx

After a train journey that lasted almost two hours and a short taxi ride to the university, we eventually walked through the doors in the early afternoon. The main lobby was quite busy, with several groups of students talking excitedly while others made their way directly to the dormitories. In the chaos, we managed to locate the main desk and helped by a rather stout woman in her late fifties with large glasses and light brown hair scraped back in a severe looking bun.

"May I help you?" she asked distractedly whilst flipping through a stack of paper files.

"Uh, yes. We were told to come here when we arrived to get our timetables and room keys." Peter explained uncertainly.

"Names, please?" she said without so much as a glance in our direction as she reached for a much larger black file.

"Peter Pevensie and Anna Pev-O'Brien." he informed her, though I shot him a surprised look when he nearly called me Anna Pevensie. Peter blushed slightly and shrugged, but it seemed the receptionist had not noticed so I chose to ignore it for now. Retrieving several sheets of paper and two room keys, we signed all of the necessary forms before making our way to the staircases pointed out to us.

"Meet back at the desk in ten minutes and decide what to do?" Peter suggested.

I smiled, "Sounds good to me." He gave me a quick kiss before we both made our way up the stairs to our respective rooms. All female first year students were housed on the first floor, so thankfully I didn't have far to go. When I reached my room about halfway down the corridor, I slowly unlocked it before stepping in to the room. The dorms were like mini apartments, plainly decorated and furnished but a decent size. The main sitting area had a large sofa and armchair with a coffee table in between, and the small kitchen area was in the far right hand corner in an open plan fashion. To the left were three doors that I assumed lead to the bedrooms and another door on the right that probably lead to the bathroom. I had just quietly closed the door behind me when one of the bedroom doors opened and a young girl stepped out, both of us looking at each other in surprise.

The girl had very long and blonde curly hair, with light brown eyes framed by a pair of delicate red glasses, a slender frame and a rosy complexion. There was a certain element of classic beauty to her, but her expression was that of a rabbit caught in the headlights.

"Um, hello." I said uncertainly as we continued to stare at each other.

"He-hello." she stuttered, seeming to be quite nervous at my arrival.

"Are you Alice or Charlotte?" I asked, attempting to make some form of conversation as I slowly set my suitcase down on the floor.

"I'm A-Alice. Are you Anna, th-then?" she replied quietly, so quietly that I wasn't entirely sure if I'd heard her correctly.

"Yes, it's nice to meet you, Alice." I said, extending a hand towards her which she delicately shook.

She gave my a shy smile as she replied, "You t-too." It was then that I realised that her earlier stutter was not due to nerves, but because that was the way she spoke.

"So, has Charlotte arrived yet?" I asked, quickly scanning the apartment for any signs of another girl.

Alice shook her head, "I arrived about th-thirty minutes ago, and I w-was the first here." she explained.

"I take it you called the best bedroom then?" I joked, and the girl gave a small laugh in response.

"I ch-checked, and they're all the same." she assured me, before adding, "If you d-don't mind my asking, b-but, are you f-from Ireland?"

I nodded and smiled, "I'm a Dublin girl originally, yes."

Alice's eyes light up, "I l-love Dublin. My family and I w-went there a few years ago f-for a holiday." she explained with a wide smile.

"I'm afraid I haven't been home in a while. I've been living over here for the past few years." I explained, suddenly feeling nostalgic for the crowds of O'Connell Street and the scenery of St Stephen's Green.

"Is it b-because of the war?" Alice asked sympathetically.

_Why must I always be asked the awkward questions?_

"Um, yes. My dad died fighting in the war and my mum in a bombing, so I was sent to live with a family friend in the country over here." I told her, recalling the story Professor Kirke had fabricated a few years ago.

"I'm so sorry, that m-must have been difficult." she said, empathy shining in her eyes.

"It was at the start, yes. But I was living with four other children that I became very close to and they're my family now." I explained with a small smile. I didn't like lying to Alice, I liked her already and she seemed to be a kind and sweet girl. But then again, I could hardly explain the real reason that I was actually here.

"That sounds j-just like a story." she commented with a dreamy look.

_You have no idea._

Before I could reply, the door behind me was violently flung open and it made a loud bang as it slammed against the wall. Alice and I jumped before turning to see who our newest addition was. A young woman with light brown hair, dark green eyes and a curvy figure stood in the doorway, a smirk on her face as she strode in to the room.

"Hmm, seems I don't know my own strength." she said smugly as she approached us. "So, who's who here?" the girl asked.

"I'm Anna, and this is Alice." I informed her, not entirely sure if I liked the woman, who I assumed to be Charlotte, or not. "Are you Charlotte?" I asked. To the surprise of Alice and I, she began to laugh loudly.

"Now when I saw that name I thought you might be a Fenian, but who'd have thought I was actually right?" she exclaimed.

I raised an eyebrow at her, "Excuse me?"

Charlotte rolled her eyes, "Oh come on, with a surname and accent like that you have to be linked to the IRA in some way." she said as if it should be obvious. I stared at her for a moment, utterly speechless at her bold and, quite frankly, sectarian statement.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't have any connections with any terrorist organisation, thank you." I told her stiffly.

Charlotte scoffed, "Whatever, my dad told me you'd probably deny it anyway." I took a deep breath as I attempted to remain calm. Apart from Peter, this girl seemed to be another person who could easily test my patience, and we'd only met two minutes ago.

"That was very rude." Alice spoke up, frowning at the other girl.

Charlotte shrugged, "What are you, my mother?" she jeered.

"Well ladies, it was nice chatting to you, but I'm off to unpack and make sure there are no bombs in my room." she added lightly, before sweeping past us and entering the bedroom on the far right.

Alice and I stared after her in stunned silence for a moment, only to come back to reality when she slammed her bedroom door closed. "Those comments were c-completely uncalled for." Alice said angrily.

"I have a feeling it's something I'll just have to get used to." I replied dubiously.

"You sh-shouldn't have to p-put up with that, though." she added.

I shrugged helplessly, "I don't really think there's anything I can do." I said. I then glanced at the clock on the wall, and groaned. "Oh no, Peter is going to kill me." I muttered.

"Who's Peter?" Alice asked curiously. "Oh, ummmm." I trailed off, unaware that she had heard me. "He's my, uh, my boyfriend." I explained.

Alice's face lit up in a smile. "And you're h-here together? How romantic!" she gushed.

I laughed, "He just can't get rid of me." I joked, "Though I was supposed to meet him downstairs ten minutes ago." I added.

"Oh dear. But I'm s-sure he'll understand." Alice reasoned.

"I'm not so sure." I replied, "Sorry, but I'll have to leave you." I apologised.

"It's all right, I think I'll ju-just hide in my room and r-read." she said with a small smile. I then proceeded to literally throw my suitcase in to the last remaining bedroom before rushing out of the door and all but running down the stairs. The crowds in the lobby had died down a little, so it was easier to spot Peter.

"I thought you had gotten lost." he teased with a smile.

I rolled my eyes, "I'll explain that when we're out of here." I replied, and Peter raised an eyebrow at my blunt tone.

"Want to go to that cafe we saw near the river?"

xXx

"So, care to explain?" Peter asked curiously as we ate.

"Prepare yourself, it's a long story." I warned him. I first began by telling him about my initial meeting with Alice and our brief conversation, and then Charlotte's entrance and her subsequent remarks.

"She said what?!" Peter fumed, anger flashing in his eyes.

"Well, it's not the first time I've been called a terrorist." I remarked.

"I know that, but she still shouldn't have said it." he said darkly.

"I'll learn to ignore her, and you won't start any trouble over it." I said in a dismissive tone, "Anyway, enough about my roommates, how were yours?"

Peter's face instantly lit up in a wide smile, "I've only met Tom so far, but he's a great guy." he enthused.

"Oh, we're on to nicknames already?" I teased.

Peter laughed, "He says he hates being called Thomas, so he insisted that I call him Tom. I think you'll like him anyway, he's great company." he added.

"Careful, you're starting to sound like an obsessed teenage girl." I joked with a wicked smile, and Peter blushed slightly.

"Oh, shut up." he replied.

"All right, calm down. What's your first class?" I asked, causing his glare to disappear.

"Human biology at ten o'clock on Monday morning." he said excitedly.

"What do you sound so happy for? That's my idea of hell on earth!" I replied sceptically.

"Not for me, it's the class I was most looking forward to." he explained with a smile, "Why what's yours?"

"I'm not so lucky, I think. I've poetry studies first and it's at nine o'clock on Monday morning." I grumbled. Peter grinned, fully aware of my hatred for early mornings.

"I'm just glad I won't be around when you wake up. I feel sorry for your roommates already, including Charlotte." he said lightly.

I glared at him, "Don't worry, I'll be sure to come knocking on your door that morning so you don't miss out." I assured him. "You're not allowed in to the boys dorms before three thirty." he reminded me with a laugh.

"And you think that'll stop me?" I asked. That silenced him.

Once we had finished our meal, we walked back to the university and separated to go back to our rooms to unpack. When I arrived, however, I found someone else had already done it for me. I stormed out of the bedroom and in to the sitting area where Charlotte and Alice were. "Did someone empty my suitcase all over the bedroom floor?" I asked angrily, causing Alice to jump at my tone. I sent her an apologetic look before Charlotte raised her hand without looking up from the book she was reading.

"Why the hell did you do that?" I seethed.

"I had to check you'd nothing in there that could potentially blow this place up." she replied calmly.

Alice and I stared at her in shock for a moment, before I finally found my voice again, "I'm sorry, but have you completely lost your mind? In case you haven't noticed, I'm here to learn, not make bombs!" I pointed out.

"Sure you are." Charlotte said flippantly. I opened my mouth to make a caustic remark, but ultimately decided not to bother and returned to my room and cleared my stuff away. As soon as I had finished that, I left the room and made my way down to the large common room I had seen earlier, not wanting to be in the same room as Charlotte for fear of starting an argument. I was surprised to discover Peter already there with another man who had jet black hair and light blue eyes, and he easily towered over me when they stood.

"Oh Anna, this is Tom." he said cheerfully as I greeted them, and Tom smiled pleasantly down at me.

"Hello, Anna. Peter's told me a lot about you already." he said.

"Nothing too bad, I hope." I joked.

"Not at all, though I'd certainly say you have him very firmly wrapped around your finger." he teased lightly.

"Yes, you were right. I like him already." I said with a wide smile to Peter, who rolled his eyes at me.

"I thought you would." he replied. For the next half an hour, we sat on one of the large sofas in the room and chatted about what we expected of this year and also about our lives during the war. But when Peter asked me about Charlotte again and I told him what she had done, Tom spoke up.

"Ah yes, sorry about that. She has a tendency to be unpleasant to certain people." he said apologetically.

"Do you know her?" I asked, a little surprised.

Tom nodded, "She's my cousin. And I think I can explain her comments."

Peter and I exchanged a look, though I had to admit that I was intrigued, "If it's all right for you to share with us, go ahead." Peter said. Tom then proceeded to explain that her mother had been killed in an IRA bomb, and she had held a strong hatred for anything and anyone associated with Ireland ever since.

"It certainly doesn't excuse what she said or did, but it's just the way she's been since then." Tom explained.

"The poor girl, no wonder she was so obsessed with checking me for bombs." I said.

"Just don't mention to her that I told you, because first she'll kill me then most likely add you to the list." Tom warned.

"Duly noted." I assured him.

Tom excused himself soon after to finish his unpacking, leaving Peter and I alone. "Well, this has most certainly been an eventful first day." he observed.

"And classes haven't even begun yet." I reminded him.

"I don't think even they will be that dramatic." he said with a short laugh.

"Hopefully not, though I do feel badly for Charlotte." I admitted.

"As do I, but she still shouldn't be saying those things to you or treating you like that." he added.

"Just promise me you won't start a fight with her, I don't need another reason for her to hate me." I warned.

"I can't promise anything, but so long as she doesn't do it again we won't have a problem." Peter replied. I rolled my eyes at him before a sudden thought from earlier entered my head.

"Peter." I began slowly, immediately gaining his attention.

"Yes?" he asked warily.

"Why did you nearly call me Anna Pevensie earlier?" I asked.

Peter blushed, "I was wondering when that would come up again." he admitted. "Part of it was that our conversation in my house a few weeks ago was playing in my mind, and the other part was that I was worried." I gave him a surprised look, wondering what on earth he could be talking about.

"I don't know what you mean. Why would you be worried?" I asked with confusion.

"We're at a university with hundreds of other people. I was just a little afraid that maybe work would take over and we wouldn't see each other as often, and as much as I hate to admit it, I was worried there'd maybe be another person who'd try and get your attention." he explained. I reached out and took his hand in mine, staring directly in to his eyes.

"Peter, whether it was this world or not, I made a vow that I would stay with you for as long as I lived, and I intend to keep that promise." I assured him, gesturing subtly to the chain underneath my blouse.

Peter now looked a little guilty, "I'm sorry, I know I'm being stupid." he said.

"No, you're not. I'll admit I was a little worried too, but now that we're here I think we'll be fine." I told him firmly.

Peter reached forward and gave me a small kiss, not wanting to attract attention from any of the other students still in the lounge. "Thank you." he said quietly.

I smiled at him, "Trust me, you won't be saying that come Monday morning."

Peter laughed, "And that's why I will be firmly barricading the doors."

I raised an eyebrow at him, "You'll have to come out of the room eventually."

"Not if I can help it."

"Seriously, I'm not that bad am I?"

"You have no idea."

"That was your cue to tell me that I wasn't."

"But where's the fun in that?"

"Thanks so much, Pete."

"Any time."

* * *

So I'd really appreciate feedback for this chapter, particularly about the new characters. Do you think they work, or should I go back and edit them?


	3. Chapter 3

Hello again everyone, and welcome to chapter 3! I would have posted this a few days ago, but I somehow managed to delete everything that I had written for this chapter on my iPad, so I had to go back and rewrite the whole chapter which wasn't much fun. So from now on, it's back to my good old fashioned laptop! This chapter is probably a little boring and slow, and mostly just a filler, but I'm still establishing a few things and I promise it will start to pick up from now on! Thanks again to my reviewers and those who added this story to their favourites or alerts, I really appreciate it. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Nikkie995: Thank you very much, I hope you love this chapter too!

Lairyfight: Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! And I'm sure there will be some problems between them later, and you'll get to see those as well as the good moments. There's still more to be told in Charlotte's story, but whether or not that will change your mind remains to be seen! You'd be surprised too at how many people really do act like Charlotte, as I've come across a few unpleasant people due to my nationality. Good luck with university!

Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER: And unfortunately there are some people just like her in the real world! But there is still more for us to see with Charlotte.

Guest: Even High King Peter can forget himself sometimes! I'm glad you do, they seem to have got a good reception so I'm really pleased with that :)

* * *

October 1942

The next few weeks at Kingston were hectic and a little stressful to say the least as our first set of exams was rapidly approaching. But the Halloween break arrived quickly, with Peter and I returning to Finchley for the three short days we were permitted to spend at home. However, our final night before our planned return to the university turned out to be a rather eventful but also frightening event. Mr and Mrs Pevensie had left after dinner to visit a friend of theirs down the street, leaving the five of us to sit at the kitchen table and talk about both our lives here and Narnia. But at about nine o'clock, we were thrown in to total chaos.

We all froze as the piercing wail of the sirens penetrated the once peaceful night air, and all of our noisy chatter instantly ceased. For a moment, no one reacted and we all simply stared at each other in surprise. I glanced at Peter with wide eyes, who immediately jumped in to action.

"Anna, Ed, Lucy, get to the shelter now! Susan, get the emergency kit and I'll get the other one! Go, now!" he ordered, Edmund pulling me to my feet as I was still a too shocked to quite comprehend what was happening. We ran out to the garden as the distant rattle of the airplane engines quickly drew nearer and nearer, and we almost fell on top of each other in to the shelter. Lucy and Edmund instantly set about lighting the lamps in the small bunker, while I laid out the blankets. No one knew how long we'd be here for, so we may as well get comfortable.

A scuffle of footsteps alerted us to another person approaching the shelter, and we all turned to see Susan running towards us and bolting through the open door. But she was alone. "Where's Peter?" I asked worriedly, glancing behind her to see that there was still no sign of him. Susan turned around too but her expression changed to one of fear when she saw that he was not there.

"I have to go find him." I said determinedly over the growing cacophony of noise building up outside, stepping forward to make my way back in to the house.

"You can't! It's too dangerous!" Lucy argued as she pulled me back. I was about to reply when there was a sudden loud blast not too far from us, and we all fell over with the force of the bomb. But my years of training as a gymnast did not go to waste, it seemed, because I was able to regain my balance quicker than the others and bolt for the house.

"Anna, no!" Edmund yelled, trying to grab hold of me as I ran past, but his fingertips only managed to brush against me. I glanced back as I ran as fast as I possibly could across the garden, only to see a glimpse of Susan holding Edmund back before I disappeared inside the house.

Quickly running through the kitchen, I tore in to the living room only to find it empty. "Peter!" I yelled, starting to panic a little when I was unable to find him. I then bolted for the stairs and ran up them, ever conscious of the sound of the bombs drawing nearer and nearer. I burst in to Peter and Edmund's room, the first door I came to, and to my relief found Peter in the room. My relief was short lived, however, when I saw he had a large cut on his forehead with a trail of blood running down the side of his face, and he seemed a little disorientated as he leaned against the wall.

But as soon as he saw me, he immediately stepped forward with a look of surprise and worry, "What the hell are you doing in here? Come on, get out!" Peter ordered as he grabbed my hand and pulled me from the room and back down the stairs. We ran through the house and reached the kitchen, but before we could step outside the unmistakable whistle of a dropping bomb not too far from the house made us stop in our tracks. "Get down!" Peter instructed, pulling me to the floor and shielding me with his body as the glass of the kitchen window shattered from the force of the blast. Wasting no time, we both scrambled to our feet before hurtling outside and all but falling in to the shelter, Peter firmly shutting and locking the door behind us.

"What the hell were you thinking? You could have got yourself injured or killed!" he shouted, rounding on me.

"And you certainly would have been if I hadn't came back!" I argued.

Peter stopped and stared at me, his eyes flashing with anger, "You are never to leave the shelter during a raid again, do you understand?" he said shortly.

"Oh come on, Peter. You would have done the same." Susan added, giving her brother a disapproving look.

"And you two." he snapped, suddenly turning to Susan and Edmund, "Don't you dare ever let her go outside again." he warned.

"Peter." I said firmly, causing him to turn to me again, "That's enough."

We stared at each for a few moments in dead silence, before he eventually sat heavily on the bed next to me.

"Lucy, do you have a medical kit or something in here and some water?" I asked her. She nodded and retrieved a tin box from one of the cupboards in the small room and a small container, before handing it to me. As Susan and Edmund set about tidying up the shelter and quietly talking, I opened the box and retrieved some bandages, cleaning strips and medical tape, before then turning to Peter who had been watching me warily the whole time. I raised the strip of cloth that was now soaked in water to the gash on his head that was still producing blood, and when he didn't stop me I placed a hand against his cheek as I carefully washed away the blood and cleaned the cut as best as I could.

Once that was finished, I then placed a bandage over his cut and secured it with the medical tape. But as I withdrew, Peter gently caught hold of my wrist and looked down at my hand with a frown, having noticed the small cuts and scratches on them. In our haste to get out of the house, I had not been careful of the glass on the floor and cut myself, though not very badly.

"I think I got off lightly compared to you." I said quietly. Peter gently brushed his lips against the cuts, and then carefully taking my hand in his. I jumped at the sound of another bomb going off that seemed to be very close to our shelter, gripping Peter's hand tightly.

"You've never experienced a bombing before, have you?" Edmund asked quietly, and I shook my head.

"Do you think mum and dad are all right?" Lucy said worriedly.

"They'll be with the Andersons in their shelter, don't worry Lucy." Susan assured her sister.

"I think we should try and get some sleep. We'll probably be in here for the night." Peter suggested after a worryingly long silence. Everyone silently agreed and grabbed a blanket for themselves, but no one fell asleep until about midnight when even then the distant sound of bombs could still be heard. When it reached one in the morning, Susan, Edmund and Lucy had fallen asleep, but I was still awake and I knew that Peter was too.

"I'm sorry about earlier. But I couldn't leave you alone in the house." I whispered.

"I know, but you can't put yourself in danger like that again." he replied quietly, his arm moving to wrap around my waist as my head rested on his shoulder.

"How is it that you're allowed to risk your life for mine, but I'm not allowed to do the same?" I asked.

"All's fair in love and war." Peter said with a chuckle.

"And how is it that you can frustrate me so much, but I still love you?"

"It's all down to my irresistible charms."

"Sure it is."

"You married me, didn't you?"

"And I'd do it all over again."

xXx

November 1942

We returned to Kingston the following day once Mr and Mrs Pevensie had returned, much to everyone's relief. The only thing I was not looking forward to when we came back, besides our impending exams, was seeing Charlotte again. While I had hoped her dislike for me would wane over time, it seemed to do the exact opposite and she remained as unpleasant and rude as before, perhaps even more so. But at least I had Alice to keep me sane, along with a few other girls from my classes such as Elizabeth, Martha and Kathleen. Whenever Charlotte passed me in the corridors or we were in the room together, she wouldn't pass up on the opportunity to make a snide comment or glare at me as she seemed to know just how to anger me the most. Although I knew I really shouldn't do it, I couldn't help but sometimes make a retort, and I did get a little bit of satisfaction seeing the smirk on her face disappear at my remarks when she had thought her comment to be particularly scathing. Though this always ended in an argument back in the dorms when one of us confronted the other about what had been said. But the strange thing about Charlotte was that she changed completely when she was with her friends, and if we ever passed each other when she was with them I would be totally ignored and she wouldn't so much as glance in my direction. Not that it bothered me, because I didn't want to have a confrontation with her all the time. Charlotte was at least civil to Alice, who sometimes had to resort to being the peacemaker.

What really irritated me though, was when I was with Peter and she tried to flirt with him by sending him a coy smile and batting her eyelashes. Peter told me to ignore it just as he did, but I was beginning to find it increasingly hard to ignore her, which only led to more fights. But Peter was less concerned with Charlotte, and more so with his new roommate, William. I had been told the story of how he had arrived on the 3rd of September in the middle of the night and half drunk, and it was Peter who had answered the door to let him in only for it to lead to an argument after some comments from William. Especially with his temper, Peter was lucky that Tom was there to break them up as I wouldn't have been surprised at all if he had started a real fight. From what I knew, William was an unpleasant, rude and arrogant person with a penchant for unappreciated practical jokes and winding people up. However, I had never talked to him myself as he always seemed to avoid everyone, especially anyone associated with Peter and Tom.

It was now mid November, and everyone was in full panic mode for our exams, myself included. I had proceeded to lock myself into my bedroom in an attempt to learn poetry for my exam, but it was definitely not going well. While I enjoyed creative writing, prose and drama studies, I detested poetry studies almost as much as early mornings and the fact that I disliked my teacher, Professor Jones, just as much as the subject didn't help at all. That, and she scared the living daylights out of me.

"Anna, you've b-been in there all d-day. At least c-come out and t-take a b-break!" Alice scolded me as she appeared at my doorway, her hands on her hips and a frown on her face.

"I can't, I still have a lot to learn." I replied distractedly, flipping through my pages of notes that had been underlined to death in red pen.

"You're n-not learning anything. Just come d-down to the c-common room with me for f-fifteen minutes. You kn-know you want t-to." she insisted, a small smile on her face as she saw my resolve begin to waver when I finally looked at her.

I sighed, "Fine, but only for fifteen minutes." I warned, getting up and following her to the door.

Alice laughed, "It's b-better than n-nothing!" she pointed out.

"Oh, so you finally managed to convince her to abandon the bomb she was trying to make?" Charlotte asked nonchalantly from her place on the sofa.

I stopped and turned to her with an angry glare, "You know something, Charlotte...?" I began, but Alice grabbed my arm and dragged me from the room before I could continue.

"J-just ignore her." she whispered to me.

"That's getting harder and harder everyday." I deadpanned. When we reached the common room, there were a few students sitting in groups and chatting, but we also spotted Peter and Tom quietly conversing in a corner. Alice and I approached them and they immediately stopped talking, although both looked a little surprised when they saw us and Peter was suspiciously quiet.

"Hello ladies, were you studying hard?" Tom asked politely as we sat next to them.

"Anna was. I h-haven't looked at a t-textbook all aftern-noon!" Alice said with a smile, and Tom began asking her questions about the course she was studying; history and politics. Peter and I exchanged a knowing look and a smile.

"Want to leave the two lovebirds and go out for a little bit?" Peter suggested quietly.

"I don't know, I still have a lot of work to do." I admitted.

"We'll only be gone for half an hour. And from what Alice was saying, it sounds like you need a break." he persisted. I hesitated for a moment, but finally gave in.

"All right. Did you have anywhere in mind?" I asked as we stood and said goodbye to Alice and Tom.

"It's a surprise." Peter replied with a smile.

"So, what were you and Tom talking about that seemed so secretive?" I asked casually.

"Oh, nothing really. Just exams and stuff." Peter replied vaguely, seeming to be distracted. Before I could reply, a man in military uniform with a hard and stern expression handed Peter a small flyer about supporting the country during the war. He seemed a little taken a back and stared down at the image on the leaflet, and an uneasy feeling settled over me. "You know, I do admire the men on the front lines." he said quietly, but I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or himself.

"Peter, you're not thinking about...about joining, are you?" I asked fearfully, making him stop and turn to face me. Peter looked surprised for a moment, almost as if he had forgotten that I was even there.

"No, of course not." he replied, but he didn't sound entirely convincing and stuffed the leaflet in to his pocket. "Come on, we're almost there." he added, taking my hand in his.

"Did you mean that?" I asked quietly before we could start walking again.

Peter paused before giving his reply, and my heart sank, "I did."

I wasn't convinced.


	4. Chapter 4

Hi everyone, and welcome back. I'll apologise for how short this chapter is, but I had very little time to write this week and I didn't want to leave you all with no update until next weekend. As you'll no doubt notice, I have changed the way I lay out the dialogue and narration in a manner that I hope will make it easier to read, and I will try to go back at some point this week and edit all of my other stories in a similar way. My undying gratitude as ever to all of you lovely people who review this story and it to your favourites or alerts!

Hockeychick19: Thanks for reading, and I'm glad you enjoy it! I hope you like this chapter too :)

Lairyfight: Thank you! And there will be plenty more about the war in the chapters to come. You'll see what the surprise was in this chapter :) Though I have a feeling the final scene will be of particular interest to you!

Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER: I'm afraid you'll just have to read on to find out!

Lunamione13: Yup, you made me cry. Thank you so much for your lovely review, I really appreciate it! I love hearing from people that they actually enjoy reading my work, I'm just really happy that someone reads it at all! I hope you continue to enjoy this story :)

* * *

December 1942

Peter's surprise turned out to be something that I had least expected to find in the city of London; a dance pavilion located in one of the quieter far corners of nearby Fairfield Park. Although this one was made of dark wood and quite small, not at all like the one at Cair Paravel, it was better than nothing and gave us the opportunity to escape every once in a while to a place where there were less people and distractions. We went there as often as we could, and it was the best place to relax after the stress of the Christmas exams. While Peter had received very good results from all of his teachers and classes, as I had expected after his ridiculous study sessions until 3 o'clock in the morning, my own marks in poetry weren't exactly what I had hoped for and Professor Jones' stern look as she had handed me back my paper still gave me nightmares. The only thing that had motivated Peter and I through the exams was the promise of a two week holiday over Christmas, but I would spend the first week or so of it, and subsequently Christmas Day, with the Professor in his little house before staying with the Pevensies again in January and then returning to Kingston.

It was our last day of term before everyone split for the Christmas break, and the teachers had allowed us the day off probably because they knew no work would be done anyway. After having lunch with all of our friends in a nearby cafe, with much laughter and teasing between us all, Peter and I had said our goodbyes and walked to the pavilion in the park for a final dance of sorts before we would be separated again.

"This Christmas is going to be very strange with you not being there." Peter said quietly as we danced in slow circles, my head on his shoulder as his arms held me firmly around my waist.

"It's our first Christmas apart, everything about it will be different." I pointed out sadly, and I didn't doubt that Peter knew exactly what I was thinking about. My heart still ached for the little boy and girl who had always been so excited every Christmas Eve, and even tried to catch Father Christmas one year, who would then make getting up on Christmas morning worth while just to see their reactions. I missed seeing their smiles and hearing their laughs, and their endearing charm that had always made it difficult for me to ever be angry with them for too long.

"I know. I still miss them too." he replied, both of us stopping and looking at each other.

"I'm still half expecting that I'll wake up in the Professor's house and come out to see them under the tree, and for them to run over and show me what Father Christmas has left them." I explained, images of Christmases past at Cair Paravel flashing through my mind.

"But we'll see them again, and then we'll never be separated." Peter said confidently, and I gave him a surprised look.

"What makes you so sure?" I asked carefully.

Peter shrugged. "It's just a feeling I have, but also after hearing Lucy and Edmund's story I have little doubt about it."

"And yet here is the man who struggled to have faith in Aslan himself a few years ago." I said softly.

Peter gave me a small smile, "That may be true, but I think one of the reasons I wasn't allowed to go back the last time was because I learned to have faith, not only in Aslan, but also in the things that are beyond my control and that Em and Josh are happy where they are now."

"You have no idea how proud I am of you." I told him with a wide smile.

"Uh-oh, did I just make you say something overly romantic and soppy?" he teased.

"Yes, now enjoy it while it lasts." I replied with a laugh.

"With pleasure." Peter said happily, before placing his lips against mine.

xXx

January 1943

"Anna, could you go and tell Peter and Edmund they need to come inside and help out?" Mrs Pevensie asked me as Lucy and I peeled potatoes while she and Susan set the table.

"No problem." I replied, setting down the knife and walking out of the back door and in to the garden where Peter and Edmund sat on a wooden bench, their expressions uncharacteristically serious and their voices low and urgent. But they immediately stopped talking once they saw me approach, Edmund wearing an expression of unease while Peter looked a little too innocent.

"Your mum said that you two need to come inside." I informed them, looking from one brother to the other. But I was a little surprised when the both of them looked relieved as they stood.

"What were you two talking about anyway?" I asked slowly, growing more suspicious as they both instantly looked guilty and a little panicked.

"Just university and classes and stuff. Nothing to worry about." Peter said a little too quickly. I paused for a moment, not believing him in the slightest, but ultimately deciding to let it go.

That was my biggest mistake.

xXx

February 1943

It was now early February, and because of the heavy rain outside, Peter and I had to confine ourselves to his dorm room and study rather than go back to the park, much to my disappointment. I had been waiting for an opportunity to confront him about the conversation with Edmund I had interrupted, but so far I had not been given a chance.

"Anna, could you pass me my bag please?" Peter asked distractedly as he furiously scribbled down notes from his textbook. Not looking up from my own book, I reached forward and grabbed the bag, but I didn't get a firm grip on it and it easily slipped through my fingers, hitting the floor with a heavy thud. Peter's head snapped up at the sound as I began to pick up the books that had spilled out.

"No, I'll do that." he said quickly, tossing his textbook to the side.

"Peter, it's fine, I can pick up a few books." I replied with a laugh, as I continued to pick them up.

"Just leave it, Anna." he snapped angrily, and I stopped in surprise before turning to face him.

"Ok, there's no need to get so defensive." I said, a little annoyed now. Peter sighed and looked like he was about to say something, when I noticed a piece of paper underneath the coffee table and reached for it. When I was able to see what it really was, I almost dropped it in shock. It was a small leaflet with an image of a young man in military uniform emblazoned on the front, and inside was all of the information you needed to know about joining the army. I stared at it for what seemed like an eternity while Peter sat silently next to me. When I finally turned to him, he had an expression of fear but also stubborn defiance, and I could barely force my tongue to work.

"Peter...you haven't...oh god, please tell me you haven't." I choked. He hesitated for a moment before shaking his head, and relief washed over me. That is, until he finally spoke.

"I haven't joined the army, no. But I'm thinking about it." he admitted quietly.

There was a moment of silence as I stared at Peter in total shock, now understanding what he and Edmund had been talking about, before my brain began to work again. "No, you can't. I won't let you." I said determinedly.

Peter sighed heavily, "Anna, I said I'm thinking about it, I haven't fully made my mind up about it yet. But it's my decision to make, and you know you can't stop me."

I stilled and looked at him. "You promised me." I said quietly. Peter gave me a look of confusion, "I never promised you I wouldn't join the army, we've never discussed it before." he said.

I shook my head, "Don't you remember? You promised you'd never leave me, that you'd always stay with me. I can't let you go." I explained. The anger that had been in his eyes quickly melted, and his expression softened.

Peter moved closer to me and took my hands in his, "You have to let me go. I have to do this. Please." he begged.

"But you don't have to go." I countered, "Peter, this isn't Narnia. We fought with swords and bows but they will fight with bombs and bullets. And you won't have an entire army at your command who would lay down their lives for you without even having to be told; you'll just be another face in the crowd, another name to add to the long list of dead men. You think I don't know how utterly terrible this war is, and how many more horrible things are still to come? This is the very stuff from my history text books, and I can tell you now that it will not be the wonderful and glorious battle it's been portrayed as. And when it's over and if you haven't died, you could be seriously injured, but I can tell you now they won't give a damn whether you're a war veteran or a scared eighteen year old boy. Please, do not do this."

There were a few moments of silence as we stared at each other, our eyes firmly locked. I could see that my words had surprised Peter a little, shattering the idilic image of war that he and so many other young men had pictured in their minds. But I would not allow him to be brainwashed like the others, and they would not take him from me.

"But it's my duty, just as it was in Narnia." he finally said, "Don't you see, Anna? I want to fight! I want to keep you and our family safe, and I want to be useful rather than sitting around here. You can't stop me, you know that, but please don't force me to go without your blessing. I couldn't bear that."

I bit my lip, "But you can be useful here. I need you, as do Susan, Edmund, Lucy and your mother and father. Just because you won't be on the front lines doesn't mean you won't be helping. Sometimes you can do a lot more when you're not fighting. And I can't tell you that I would be fine with you going, because I wouldn't ever be able to let you go. I am begging you Peter, please don't do it." I pleaded, but I had a terrible feeling that my resistance was only making him even more determined to go to war.

"Why can't you just accept that this is something I want to do? Why shouldn't I fight for my country? I've done it for Narnia." Peter replied, anger seeping in to his voice.

"You were the High King of Narnia, you had no choice but to fight then. Please, this war isn't the same, just think about this for a minute!" I said desperately.

"I have thought about this! This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you because I knew you'd try and stop me!"

"So you expect me to just let you go and possibly never see you again?"

"No, I expect you to support me and allow me to make my own decisions!"

"Not when your decisions can get you killed!"

"Why do you have to make such a big deal out of this? You know you can't stop me if I go!"

I stopped and stared at Peter, his eyes flashing with anger as I glared at him. If he wanted to be stubborn and risk his life, then I wasn't going to argue anymore.

"Fine. Go. But don't expect me to stand and wave you off on the train." I said harshly as I stood and grabbed my books, before walking out of the room and slamming the door behind me. But I couldn't hold back the solitary tear that escaped as I ran down the hall way all the way back to my own room, half hoping that Peter would come out and follow after me, telling me that he wouldn't go.

But he didn't come.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello folks, welcome back! Again, this chapter isn't really that long and is a little bit of a filler chapter, but don't worry as I've got lots more little story arcs planned. Thanks again to everyone adding this story to their favourites and alerts, and for all of the reviews! As always, feel free to leave a review if you'd like, because I love feedback! Here's chapter 5, enjoy everyone!

Guest: You'll find out in this chapter if he joins or not, I promise!

Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER: Most men are stupid! No I'm joking, but I'm sure the idea of fighting like he used to in Narnia was something that not even Peter could resist.

MCH: We'll revisit the conversation with Edmund soon, so you will find out what was said. You'll find out in this chapter if he decides to go off and fight.

Lairyfight: I think Anna might beat you to it! Glad you liked the dance pavilion, it was something I only thought to add about ten minutes before publishing! And you're awesome for giving me such wonderful reviews for every chapter, so thank you!

Justiceintheworldofhp-yearight: I couldn't agree more! (I love your username by the way!)

Ariah23: Oh my gosh, I hope I didn't distract you from anything! Thank you so much for your lovely review, and also for reading everything in one night! I'm really happy to hear that you enjoy this story, and I hope that you continue to do so!

* * *

**_One week later_**

I tossed and turned in my bed that night, too distracted by the thoughts circling in my head to have any chance of sleep. With a sigh I got out of bed and walked in to our small living area, but was surprised to see that I didn't seem to be the only one having trouble sleeping. Alice was sat on the sofa, a mug of tea on the table in front of her and the lamp closest to her switched on, it's soft, dim light the only thing preventing the room from taking on a rather empty and slightly sinister look.

"Can't sleep either?" I asked quietly, causing Alice to jump at the sound of my voice. She turned abruptly, but relaxed when she saw me and gave a breathless laugh.

"You sc-scared me!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry." I laughed, "But that's what you get for sitting up at two in the morning on your own." I teased.

"You're up t-too, you know. And what are you w-wearing anyway?" Alice asked, giving my attire a confused glance as I blushed slightly.

"It's one of Peter's old shirts." I explained, "He gave it to me when I'd forgotten to wash my clothes once while we were staying with the Professor.

I knew from the look Alice gave me that she knew the only reason I was wearing it now was because I missed Peter and wanted to talk to him, but that I was too stubborn to be the first to break the silence.

"You miss him, d-don't you?" she said sympathetically, and I nodded.

"It's not the first time we've argued, but they're not usually as big as this. I just don't know what to do, Alice. We haven't spoken in days and I have no idea if he's signed up or not." I said miserably, running a hand through my hair in frustration as I sat next to her. Alice regarded me with a sympathetic look, setting her mug of tea on the table.

"You kn-know what all of the m-men are like now, they f-feel that if they're not fighting on the f-front lines then they're a c-coward or not really being useful. I d-doubt that Peter is an exception, or th-that he would really j-join without telling you. Besides, you d-did say that he was only thinking a-about it, didn't you?" she replied.

I nodded, "He did, but I don't even want him to think about it. I know that he'll be a great doctor, so why doesn't Peter stay here and get his degree so that he can help treat people who are sick and injured, not help them become that?" I said exasperatedly.

"I know wh-what you mean, and I think even T-tom was considering joining until hi-his brother was k-killed." Alice added.

"He gets back from the funeral today, doesn't he?" I asked, feeling a little guilty for complaining about Peter when Tom had just lost his brother in the war.

"Yes, he'll be b-back on the eight o'clock train with Charlotte."

"The poor man, I even feel sorry for Charlotte. Are you going to meet him?"

Alice gave me a shy smile, "Yes, he t-telephoned me yesterday t-to ask if I could."

I grinned widely at my friend, "That blush tells me you were more than happy to oblige." I teased.

Alice swatted playfully at my arm, "Hush up. I could hardly s-say no and make him c-come back to Kingston on hi-his own, could I?" she defended.

"But the fact remains that you two are seriously falling for each other." I prompted, causing Alice's blush to deepen.

"I don't kn-know." she admitted quietly, "He's so lovely and kind and ch-charming with everyone, and he's even b-been helping me get rid of th-this awful stutter, but he could probably have any g-girl he wanted without a stutter, so why would he ch-choose me?"

"Oh Alice, I'm fairly certain that Tom couldn't care less about that, and it's not as if it takes anything away from you as a person. In fact, I'm sure he doesn't notice it anymore just like the rest of us." I assured her.

Alice gave me a doubtful look, "I still notice it, and I've b-been living with it for the p-past t-ten years."

"But that's because you're always worrying about it. Seriously, no one is getting hung up on it, and neither should you. You should only be worrying about what you'll wear when Tom finally asks you out." I teased, and Alice's blush deepened.

"Can I ask you something?" she said.

"Go ahead."

"How long did it t-take you and P-peter to realise that you l-liked each other?"

_Again with the awkward questions?_

"Umm..." I hesitated, "A couple of weeks, I think. It's funny though, we didn't exactly get along when we first met." I said carefully.

Alice gave me a surprised look, "Really? What m-made you see things d-differently?"

_Me and my big mouth._

"Yeah, I arrived at the Professor's house a little while after him and his brother and sisters, but he was very protective of them and wasn't sure if he could trust me or not to start with. But after a little while he came to trust me, and I started to trust him too, although it wasn't until he helped me down from a tree that I was stuck in that we started to like each other." I explained

Alice laughed, "Why were you stuck up a t-tree?"

"It was a game of hide and seek gone wrong."

"Ok, so when did you b-both admit that you had f-feelings for each other?" she queried further, seeming to be genuinely interested.

"A few weeks after I arrived, we were sitting in one of the fields next to the house, one thing led to another and we kissed. It was pretty hard to deny after that our relationship was strictly platonic." I answered, laughing the wide smile on Alice's face.

"It s-sounds incredibly romantic."

"That's Peter all right."

"Do you love him?"

I raised an eyebrow at the abruptness of Alice's question, which she didn't fail to notice.

"I'm sorry, th-that was a little too p-personal. You don't have t-to answer that." she said apologetically, but I shook my head.

"It's all right, I just wasn't expecting you to ask that. But yes, I do love him." I replied.

"How do you kn-know?"

"Now _that_ would be a very long story."

_A seventeen year long story. _

xXx

_**Two days later**_

I walked in to the common room searching for Kathleen, attempting to find her distinguishable dark curls as I scanned the busy room. But instead, my eyes immediately focused on an all too familiar head of blond hair and blue eyes, although Peter did not immediately notice I had entered because he was talking animatedly with a man about his fathers age dressed in full military regalia, including quite a few medals. I stopped as my heart fell to my stomach when the unknown man handed Peter a light brown envelope with some official looking government stamps, and I feared what could be inside it. Laughing and smiling widely, the man shook Peter's hand heartily as the pair said their goodbyes before he left the room, giving me a courteous smile as he passed which I briefly returned.

My eyes flickered back to Peter as he placed the envelope in his pocket and began to leave too, but he stopped and looked surprised when he saw me standing there. Without waiting for an explanation, and also not really wanting to receive one, I turned on my heel and quickly made my way back to the dorms, but Peter followed after me.

"Anna, wait!" he called, but I ignored him and continued on without turning back.

"Anna, will you please just stop and listen." Peter said with obvious exasperation as he carefully caught hold of my upper arm and pulled me back slightly, forcing me to turn and face him. Unsure what to do, I stared silently up at him as he gave me a pleading look.

"I saw you with him. I think I can guess what's going on." I said quietly.

Peter sighed, "I don't want to explain here, can we go to the park or something so we can talk?"

I bit my lip, not able to make a decision immediately. Part of me wanted to say yes and hope that he would prove me wrong, but the other was telling me to say no and just walk away.

_'Peter is a wonderful man and he loves you as much as you love him, try not to get in to another silly argument...Never take it for granted.'_

As Evelyn's words from all of those years ago as she lay dying suddenly came to the forefront of my mind and I was subsequently reminded of my promise to her, I knew that I couldn't walk away this time.

"All right." I agreed quietly, the two of us leaving the building in silence as we walked the short distance to the park and quickly located the pavilion. I sat on the bottom step and Peter joined me, his eyes staring off to the trees in front of us while I kept my gaze firmly locked on the ground, too afraid to look at him and hear what he had to say, fearing the worst.

"Anna." Peter called softly after a few minutes of tense silence, and I slowly turned to look up at him as he held my gaze firmly with his, my heart hammering against my chest.

"That letter he gave you, please tell me it wasn't..." I wasn't able to finish my sentence.

"The man you saw is an old friend of my father's; they were in the same infantry when they first joined the army. All he was saying is that he had a letter for him, and wanted me to deliver it the next time we go home." Peter explained.

He paused, allowing me to process this information, before continuing.

"And the letter couldn't have been what you thought it was anyway, because I won't be leaving."

I stopped, staring at Peter in shock and wondering if I'd heard him correctly.

"You mean...? Are you being serious?" I asked slowly.

Peter nodded, "I'm not going to join the war, Anna."

_Thank you Aslan, for finally making him see sense._

I breathed a sigh of relief as I pulled Peter in to an embrace, although he seemed momentarily surprised by my actions because it took him a moment to respond and place his arms around me.

"Don't you dare _ever_ scare me like that again." I warned him, and Peter chuckled softly at my words.

"What changed your mind anyway?" I asked as I drew back, his hand finding it's way in to mine as he gave me an amused smile.

"I was kind of hoping you'd ask that, actually." he admitted. "There were three things that made me decide against going; the first was Tom and how it affected him after his brother died. I couldn't help but think that's what would happen to Edmund and Susan and Lucy if I were to die in the war, and I couldn't bear to do that to them. The second was Alice, when she talked to me and told me how much this was affecting you. She made me see what the consequences for us would be if I were to leave. And the third thing was you."

I looked at him in surprise, "Me? How?" I asked with confusion.

Peter gave me a rueful smile, "Do you remember the conversation that we had on the balcony in the Telmarine castle on our last night in Narnia?"

I nodded, beginning to understand where he was going with this, "Yes, I do."

"Well, you've always worked to keep your promise, and I realised that I hadn't exactly made it easy for you or that I was helping you out in any way by going off to fight. And then I remembered that you promised that night to stay with me, but I don't think it's fair for me to expect that of you and then not return the favour. So I'm going to promise you now that I won't leave you, especially not to fight in a war." he said.

"Thank you." I replied quietly, placing my lips against his in a kiss.

Peter stood once we had broken apart, "Now, may I have this dance, my lady?" he asked with a wide smile, extending his hand towards me.

I smiled back at him, placing my hand in his own, "How could I refuse?"


	6. Chapter 6

Hello again everyone! I'll apologise, because I wasn't on great form this week and my time for writing was incredibly limited, so I'm afraid this chapter is quite short and not really very exciting. Sorry! But I didn't want to leave you all without an update, and I promise that I'll have something more exciting much longer in the next chapter. Thanks again to all of my reviewers, and also to MythicalGirl17 for her lovely PM. Words will never describe how much I appreciate you all! And as always, feel free to leave a review of your own if you wish! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Ariah23: Go do your homework now, it's bad enough that fanfiction distracts me from it! :P Thank you so much for your support, I just hope I can keep up the standard!

MCH: I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist prolonging your worry for just a little bit more! And there'll be more on Tom and Alice's relationship and Peter and Edmund's discussion in this chapter, don't worry.

Justiceintheworldofhp-yearight: Just hopefully the right kind of 'awwww'!

Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER: I thought you'd be happy about that!

LairyFight: I had a feeling you'd be pleased about that too! And thank you so much, not only for your wonderful reviews but your lovely words, because it's things like that which make me love writing and want to keep going!

* * *

March 1943

A few days after Tom and Charlotte's from the funeral found Peter and I sitting in the common room. I had been given a few days respite from Charlotte's snide comments, as she had been very withdrawn since the event. Tom was no exception, and as he passed us in the common room, he only gave Peter and I a quick wave before hastily retreating to the dorms, and even I knew that he normally would have at least stopped and come over to say hello.

"Tom's not coping very well, is he?" I asked Peter worriedly.

"He's still upset, naturally, but I think he's doing all right considering the circumstances." Peter replied, but his response was somewhat listless.

I looked at Peter, but his gaze was firmly fixed on the window as he stared unseeingly out of it with a pensive expression. Quietly, I moved to sit next to him and placed a hand on his arm, giving Peter a questioning look as he turned to face me. We only made brief eye contact before he simply turned back to stare out of the window again, and combined with the prolonged silence I was unsure if I was going to receive an explanation or not. But eventually, Peter gave me his reply.

"It's just that this whole war has made me so angry. Good people like Tom are losing members of their families, and from what I've been told his brother was just like , it nearly drove us apart even after our promise not to have another stupid argument. And to finish it all off, thousands of people are dying be it in a bombing or on the front lines, and if I'd gone ahead and joined one of those people could have been me. Sometimes I wonder if this is all worth it and if this damn war will ever end."

"I don't think I'm allowed to tell you much about the war, but what I can say is that while there are dark days and horrible revelations to come, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and no war lasts forever. Just have a little faith."

Peter raised an eyebrow, "We're back to that?"

"Yes, because as I recall that was exactly what got you through the last time, even if it took a little while. But I know how impatient you can be."

"Ok, you have a point. But it's not like Aslan's just going to show up at our door here." he argued.

"No, he probably won't. But according to Lucy we can still find him here." I reminded him.

Peter paused, regarding me for a moment before giving his reply, "And have you found him?"

I sighed, "Not in the way I thought I would have, no. I just can't find Aslan in all of that kneeling and reciting prayers and monotonous sermons, because I somewhat doubt he'd care much for that." I admitted. "What about you?"

"I'm afraid I have to agree with you. And in a way, I can't really picture him as the human Christ figure on the stained glass windows. I think he'll always be the lion to me. But then how do we find him?" he asked dubiously.

"We'll just have to keep looking."

xXx

**_One week later_**

As Peter and I sat in my dorm room studying on a rainy and dreary Saturday afternoon doing what every other panicking university student; studying. We were momentarily interrupted by the appearance of Alice.

"Anna, I'm going down to the common room to meet Tom, so I'll be back a little later." Alice informed me as she emerged from her bedroom.

"Ok, have fun." I called teasingly to her with a wide smile, causing her to blush before slipping out of the door.

"Are Tom and Alice together then?" Peter asked curiously.

"Your guess is as good as mine. They've been spending a lot of time together lately, but Alice says they're just friends. Has Tom said anything?"

Peter laughed, "He doesn't shut up about her, but I can't seem him making a move any time soon. I think you forget sometimes that you live in the 1940s now, and we usually wait quite a while before pursuing a relationship with someone unlike getting together after a few weeks like you say people do in the future. It seems that we'll just have to wait it out."

"Yes, but I think I would have been ready to kill you by this point if we'd waited that long." I muttered, leading to Peter giving me an amused smile.

"I don't doubt it. But remember that our circumstances were completely different; I didn't know if you or I would live to see the next day, and not even you knew if you'd survive or not." he pointed out.

"That's true. Though I do wonder sometimes how things would have worked out if I had been born in this era like you and Narnia hadn't brought us together."

Peter looked thoughtful for a moment, before he gave me his reply.

"It's possible that we both could have been evacuated to the Professor's house, your mother and father having died like in the story he fabricated for you. I imagine we wouldn't have immediately taken to one another like what happened in Narnia, especially since I didn't know who you were and if I could trust you or not. But after a few weeks and possibly an argument or two, I would have realised that I had nothing to worry about and we would be on friendlier terms. After that, I would have realised that one of the reasons I was so unsure of you to begin with was because I was actually attracted to you, and there was something about you that was drawing me in. Then, I probably would have found myself making excuses, some ridiculous ones I'm sure, to talk to you or spend time with you, just to get to know you better. I would have waited a few months before I would even think about being alone in a room with you or even flirting with you, and when I finally did I'd probably be very obvious. And depending on whether you'd noticed or not and if you still felt the same way, you might have flirted a little too. Finally, after about 6 or 7 months maybe I would have asked for your permission to court you, and I might have kissed you too. When we went back to school and stayed with the Professor, there still wouldn't have been many opportunities for us to go out, but I still would have taken you to the dances we went to and the trip to the cinema, and I would bring you home before ten o'clock every night. But there definitely wouldn't have been any sneaking in to the living room late at night and sitting together for a few hours like we used to. And I'd more than likely only confess recently that I was in love with you." he explained.

"It really would have taken that long?" I asked with surprise.

Peter nodded, "And that's how long my parents think it took, so don't tell them otherwise or they'll probably kill me. Although from what you've told me it would have been an entirely different story in 2012."

"It would have been completely different, yes. I don't know how we would have met, maybe I could have moved to London for school and we would have met through that or even through some mutual friends. After a few weeks of getting to know each other and maybe a little bit of flirting, we probably would have exchanged phone numbers and texted each other a few times. Then, we would have started to go out on our own, maybe in to the city centre or to the cinema. And after however long it took one of us to ask, we would start going out as a couple officially, all in the space of maybe 3 or 4 months. But I'm still surprised at how long it would take if our circumstances had been normal, considering that you asked to court me the night of the coronation ball two months after we arrived in Narnia."

"I don't think those rules really applied in Narnia. But I don't regret it in the slightest. Though I'll admit, one of my reasons for asking you so soon was that I was a little afraid that one of the young Lords in the court would catch your attention and I'd lose you."

I placed my hand in Peter's, making him turn to look at me with a slightly worried expression.

"You know, it still amazes me that you could ever think I would want to be with anyone but you."

Peter smiled.

"I thought I was supposed to be the romantic one?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I can't surprise you."

xXx

April 1943

Peter returned to Finchley for the Easter break while I stayed with the Professor, but I ended up having to go to the Pevensie's house a few days later due to Professor Kirke being called away to see a friend of his. He didn't fully explain the circumstances, and I wasn't about to ask.

On the final day before we were to return to Kingston, I found myself sitting in the back garden with Edmund, both of us finding it the only place in the sometimes chaotic house that was quiet enough to enjoy the books we were reading. Regardless, we both enjoyed each others silent company, although it wasn't to remain quiet for long.

"I told him that I tried to join the army, you know." Edmund suddenly informed me quietly. I looked up at him with wide eyes, not having expected this at all.

"Why did you do that and how are you not dead and buried by now?" I asked with surprise, genuinely curious as to his motives and why Peter hadn't killed him on the spot like I thought he would.

Edmund gave me a wry smile, "I was simply returning the favour after Peter told me he was thinking about joining the army, although I was hoping that it would make him see how it would affect us if he left, by me showing him how it felt to think that I could have done the same thing. It didn't have the immediate effect that I was hoping for, but even Peter had to admit that he couldn't really be angry with me considering that he was thinking of joining himself and I had assured him that I wasn't going to join. But I think I got my point across in the end, with a little help from you of course."

"That certainly was very brave of you to admit that to Peter, but you did help make my job a little easier. Thanks Ed."

Edmund chuckled, "Any time."


	7. Chapter 7

Hello everyone, welcome back! So this chapter is much longer than the last one, thank Aslan, but that's partially due to me adding scenes that document the other Pevensie siblings lives, which you'll see once you read this chapter. I think from now on I'll include them in the chapters, because there simply isn't enough material when I just write about Peter and Anna. I'm also going to have to admit, my muse is struggling to come up with more ideas for what to write while they're at Kingston, and as my writing time is severely limited to the weekend, I'm probably only going to be able to update once every two weeks now. This is also to make sure that you are all getting the best possible chapter that I can produce, and not something that I come up with two minutes before posting and throw down just to try and fill up the story, because I want you all to read the best that I can produce. But also, if any of you have a suggestion for a scene you'd like to see, feel free to tell me and I'll try to incorporate it as best as I can. Wow, that was long, but on to the reviews! Thanks again everyone, and also to those of you who added this story to you favourites or alerts. You're all awesome!

MCH: I was thinking over how it would have worked, and so I had Peter and Anna discuss it so you could all see it too. And Edmund is a smart guy, he knows just how to make his brother feel guilty! But I think Peter's learned his lesson now.

Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER: You'll just have to wait and see how things turn out for them!

LairyFight: I thought it would have been interesting to see, so I put it in to let the rest of you get an idea of what at least I think it would have been like for Peter and Anna. Reverse logic is always a good tactic, especially with someone as stubborn as Peter! I don't think Anna would have been able to convince him not to go on her own anyway, so I had Edmund give her a little help. And thanks again, it's always amazing to hear that people enjoy what you're doing, and a little teamwork is always the best way forward!

* * *

May 1943

Despite having now almost completed a full year at Kingston, I was yet to encounter Peter and Tom's much disliked room mate William, other than passing each other in the corridors or glimpses of him while sitting in the common room. He was quite a short and and stout young man with a head of light brown hair, but he had incredibly dark brown eyes that could hold you down with an intense glare from across the other side of a large room. William was loud and boisterous, and you usually heard him coming before you saw him. He mainly associated with the people who preferred to party rather than going to class or getting some sleep, and apparently it wasn't unusual for him to return to the dorms at around 3 or 4 in the morning; much to Peter and Tom's annoyance. I stayed well out of his as, although mostly because he and Charlotte seemed to be particularly close, and one was rarely seen without the other. But today, I was to have my first encounter with him, though it wasn't exactly an enjoyable experience.

Returning from my last class of the day, I all but dragged myself up the stairs to the dorm and flung the door open, giving Alice a weary smile as she gave me a sympathetic look, noting Charlotte's absence and concluding that she must be in her room. But when I opened the door to my bedroom I froze in horror, my mouth hanging open in shock as I stood in the doorway. The entire room had been ransacked. Again. My books lay strewn across the floor and desk, while my clothes and personal belongings covered this in another layer. I fought to remain calm, but knew that this time I would not succeed.

"Charlotte!"

All I needed to hear was the very satisfied chuckle coming from the kitchen area to know where she now was. I spun on my heel and faced her, narrowing my eyes as she grinned widely at me with a triumphant expression. Alice stood by the sofa, looking both startled and worried as she glanced from Charlotte to me with a pale face.

"What's the matter, Irish?" she asked innocently, but her fiendish smile didn't fade in the slightest.

"Why the _hell_ did you go through my stuff again?" I said angrily through clenched teeth.

"My necklace was missing, and since I saw you, shall we say, _admiring_, it yesterday, I checked your room to make sure you hadn't stolen it, because I know you'd never admit to it so I'd never see it again."

"Are you insane?!"

"Not at all, no. But while I didn't find my necklace, I did find a very pretty little trinket belonging to you, which you'll get back after my property is returned."

At this, Charlotte produced the chain that held my rings, and I froze in shock, giving her an incredulous look as she smirked triumphantly. But to my surprise, it was Alice who spoke up.

"Charlotte, you h-have no right to d-do that. Give them b-back." she said fiercely, an uncharacteristic frown on her face.

"Be quiet, Princess. And I'll give them back when she returns my necklace."

"I didn't take your necklace, Charlotte. Stop playing games and give the rings back to me."

"When you give me back my necklace, I will."

"Aren't you listening? I didn't take it!"

"Right, like I'm going to believe that."

_I am going to kill you._

I began to move towards her in large strides, not entirely sure yet what I would do when I caught her, but certain that it would not be pleasant. If it was possible, Charlotte's smile widened as she readily accepted my challenge and bolted for the door that lead out to the corridor, with me pursuing her the whole time. I chased her through the hallways as she laughed with sadistic glee, a little too happy at having found another way to wind me up. Some of the students that we passed gave us surprised looks, others were a little startled, and those who were more than used to Charlotte's antics just looked amused.

Charlotte lead us on a frantic chase through the hallways of the dorms, before we eventually found ourselves in the common room. All of those occupying the room turned to look at us with curiosity and surprise, but a familiar voice stopped me in my tracks, and even Charlotte paused once she noticed that I was no longer pursuing her.

"Anna? What's going on?"

I turned to find Peter and Tom approaching us, and I spotted Alice run in to the room as she frantically searched for us, relief crossing her features once she saw that I had stopped chasing Charlotte.

"It's nothing, I can handle it." I said quickly, trying not to draw any more attention to the scene we were creating.

"Everything all right, Charlotte?" Tom asked his cousin, giving her pointed look. I was surprised when she suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"Perfectly fine, once what belongs to me is returned." she replied evenly, but there wasn't the same level of coolness that she normally exuded.

Peter raised an eyebrow, giving me a questioning look, but I shook my head slightly.

It was at this point William chose to join us, having watched our exchange from the other side of the room, and he came to stand protectively close to Charlotte, folding his arms across his chest and glaring at all of us. Coupled with all of the looks we were receiving from those in the common room and William's intense gaze, I began to feel a little uneasy and apprehensive.

"What's going on here, then?" he asked darkly, and I received the distinct impression that this man's temper would be one to rival even that of Peter's, who had now come to stand next to me and glared at the other man.

At the same time, Alice had quickly made her way to Tom's side, reaching up to whisper something in his ear that I strained to catch, but I couldn't quite make out what she had said. Tom, however, understood her perfectly, giving her a quick nod before approaching us and giving his cousin a pointed look.

"Charlotte, are you sure that you didn't just misplace your necklace? I doubt that Anna took it." Tom interjected, trying to reason with his cousin.

"I'm very sure." she replied defiantly.

"Do you h-have any p-proof?" Alice asked.

"I said be quiet, Princess." the other girl snapped in response.

Charlotte opened her mouth to reply, but even I wouldn't have challenged Tom with the look he gave her. She began to grow red, and even looked a little sheepish despite the clear annoyance on her face.

"Give what belongs to Anna back to Anna, please." he continued.

With an intense glare in my direction, Charlotte pulled the chin from her skirt pocket and handed it back to me, as I quickly took the rings before she could pull back or change her mind. Once they were safely deposited back in to my hand, Charlotte turned around and walked quickly away with William following her, but not after he had taken his time to send a harsh glare in our direction.

"Care to explain, ladies?" Peter asked, turning to look at Alice and I as we exchanged an uncertain look.

"It was nothing, Charlotte was just trying to wind me up again. She accused me of stealing a necklace and decided it was a good excuse to raid my room and take my rings." I explained.

"It's not the f-first time, and it certainly won't b-be the last." Alice added.

"Why was she calling you 'Princess'?" Peter inquired.

Alice rolled her eyes, "She says that I act t-too properly for m-my own good, just like a P-Princess."

"Charming." Peter muttered.

"I have to say, while I knew she wasn't exactly pleasant, I never would have thought Charlotte would try something like that." Tom said, although I wasn't sure if it was to us or himself.

"Was she always that...uncooperative?" I asked.

Tom shook his head, "It was only after her mothers death that she became like this. I was usually the one who had to look after her when her father was away, so I've learned how to deal with her."

"I'll say. The look you gave her even frightened me a little." Peter admitted, while his friend grinned at him.

"Maybe you should watch out, Pete. There's no telling when I'll just suddenly snap." Tom teased, both men laughing while Alice and I smirked at one another.

"If you d-don't mind my asking, Anna, but why d-do you have a set of wedding r-rings anyway?" Alice asked curiously, glancing at the chain I still held firmly in my hand.

_Why can I never seem to escape the awkward questions?!_

"They're...ummm...they're...they're my mother's." I finally managed to spit out.

"Oh, I'm s-sorry. Just forget th-that I said anything." Alice replied apologetically.

I shook my head, "It's all right, you weren't to know." I replied, though with no small trace of guilt at yet another lie.

Alice and Tom then said their good byes, both saying they had some studying or work to do, but that they were going to take a short walk first. I gave Alice a knowing smile, and she blushed before following Tom out of the building. I knew I'd find out what was going on later.

"Well, that was interesting." Peter commented, but in a low voice so that only I could hear.

"That's one word for it."

"At least you were able to come up with a viable excuse, because that could have become awkward very quickly."

"I don't know, I'd loved to have seen Charlotte's reaction if I had told her that they were my wedding rings from another world where we were ordained Kings and Queens by a talking Lion and had to defeat an evil Witch to restore peace to the land."

"I think she would have just thought you were crazy."

"She wouldn't have been far off it."

"How so?"

"I lived with Su, Ed and Lucy, didn't I?"

"Then that must make me utterly insane."

xXx

Edmund sighed inwardly as another minute gradually passed by, the hands of the clock seeming to be deliberately inching forward at a slow pace just to infuriate him. He loathed maths, despite being rather talented at the subject, because it bored him. In fact, everything just seemed to bore him nowadays. Edmund missed Narnia much more than he let the others believe, and he had always privately agreed with Peter that being a King of Narnia was more than enough of an education and that he didn't need to learn how to find the radius of a circle. The truth was, he just missed the old life. He missed Cair Paravel and walking through it's halls, the balls they had held and good friends they had entertained, but he missed seeing his niece and nephew running down the hallways towards him with childish giggles, always being careful not to let Peter or Anna catch them, and the games he would play with the twins. Edmund even missed the long hours locked in his study, court meetings, dealing with obnoxious and arrogant Lords or Kings who thought they could take advantage of the youth and inexperience of he and his siblings. He even missed the long and challenging training sessions with Oreius.

"Mr Pevensie?" A stern voice suddenly broke through Edmund's reverie, and he tried not to look too startled as he looked up at his teacher, a frown on her otherwise youthful face that sometimes inexplicably reminded him of Lucy.

"Yes, Miss Murphy?"

"What is the answer to the question?"

Edmund groaned inwardly, and was about to admit he hadn't been paying attention when a voice furiously whispered something next to him.

"Twenty seven."

Managing to stop himself from turning to face the girl sitting next to him at the last minute, Edmund answered his teacher.

"Is it twenty seven?"

Miss Murphy looked a little put out as he responded correctly, but nodded in confirmation nonetheless.

"It would be wise for you to properly pay attention in class from now on, Mr Pevensie."

"Yes, Miss. Sorry."

Later that day, Edmund found himself contemplating over Narnia again as he walked to his history class, but a sudden impact and loud bang startled Edmund out of his reverie, and he looked up to see a flustered young girl about his age staring down at the books now strewn across the floor. With a sigh, Edmund reached down to pick them up, causing the girl to jump in to action and also reach for her books. Once they had been gathered up, Edmund holding the majority of them, they both stood as he handed her back the books, and the girl gave him a very fleeting shy smile.

"Sorry about that, I didn't see you." Edmund said slowly.

"Oh it's all right, no harm done." the girl replied in a quiet and mild voice, but she seemed to be sincere.

Light green eyes peered timidly up at him underneath a few stray locks of curly brown hair, her ponytail having become insecure after their collision. It was only then that Edmund recognised her as the new girl who had moved from Manchester, the one who had given him the answer in maths class earlier. Andrea, was what he recalled her name as.

"You're Andrea, right? You were in Miss Murphy's class with me earlier."

Andrea blushed, but nodded in confirmation all the same, "Yes, I just moved from Manchester in the summer. And you're Edmund, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. Thanks for saving me earlier, by the way."

"It's no problem, I would have felt badly knowing the answer and then not helping you."

Edmund found himself a little surprised by her response. It's not as if he would have held a grudge against the girl, or known for that matter, if she had withheld the answer from him.

"Oh, uhhh, don't worry about it." he replied, suddenly feeling a little awkward and unsure what to say now.

_'By the Mane, what's wrong with you Edmund Pevensie? You've successfully conversed with some of the most arrogant Kings in all of Narnia, and that's just Peter, so why are you acting like a brain dead moron?' _he thought to himself incredulously.

"Well, I'm afraid I have to go to class now, but it was lovely talking to you Edmund." Andrea said shyly, smiling tentatively up at him. To his surprise, Edmund found himself giving her a small smile of his own in return.

"Yeah, me too. Umm...see you around, Andrea. And if you need a friend or something...I mean, not that you don't have friends...but I just meant if you wanted to talk or stuff like that, I'm here if you need me." he said awkwardly, feeling himself begin to blush profusely and wanting to smack himself on the forehead for how completely idiotic he sounded.

"Thank you, Edmund. I'll remember that." Andrea replied politely, but he noticed that she too was beginning to blush. "See you around."

Edmund nodded and walked in the direction of his next class, blinking stupidly a few time whilst trying to comprehend what exactly had just happened, and ultimately failing.

_'What the bloody hell just happened?!' _

xXx

Susan furiously scribbled down the notes her teacher was writing on the board, determined as ever to achieve the highest possible marks at the end of the year and attain her scholarship to University. But while she continued to write, a piece of cleanly folded paper materialised on her desk, and she paused in her writing to pick it up and read, her curiosity winning out.

_Matthew's having a party on Saturday night. Do you want to go?_

Susan was easily able to discern the handwriting as belonging to that of her friend Jane, and she quickly wrote down her reply before passing it back along.

_Of course! Town on friday to get new dresses? I've worn most of mine out all ready._


	8. Chapter 8

**_Important author's note:_**

Hello everyone, and firstly a belated Lá Fhéile Phádraig shona duit! So yes, I'm going to start with the obvious apology for taking so long to update. Sorry! Life has been nothing short of hectic recently with a mountain load of school events, work and a whole host of other commitments outside of school, and it looks like I'm not really going to get a break any time soon, so I'm afraid that this will be my last update for a while. Exams are rapidly approaching, and I need to begin to concentrate on them to achieve good grades in my A Levels to go to my chosen University. This means you probably won't see me again until late June, although I might be able to post another chapter in May if I can find the time. I hope you all understand and stick with me until I come back, because I absolutely intend to finish this story!

Anyway, thanks again to my reviewers and those who added this story to their favourites or alerts! I'd also like to say a very special thank you to Hollie Katrina at Fanfiction Reviews for giving Choices, Change and Challenges such a wonderful review and the time and effort she put in to it. Give her a follow on twitter at FFRevi3ws. And now that's all out of the way, on with the story! Sorry again for the wait everyone, and see you all when I get back.

Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER: Edmund isn't in this chapter, but don't worry because you'll definitely get to see more of his relationship with Andrea later!

Lairyfight: Thank you! Perhaps you may start to feel a little more sympathy for her soon. And I think that's a possibility, but Anna will have to do a bit of learning before that can happen, and Charlotte likewise. There'll be more on Edmund and Andrea later on, but for this chapter I'm focusing on Peter and Anna. Don't worry about how long it takes to review, at least you always get round to it! I really can't say anything though with the amount of it took me to update!

_**WARNING:**_ Strong language, scenes containing violence and discussion of domestic/physical abuse

* * *

June 1943

In our final few weeks before the end of our first full year at Kingston, everyone had to undergo the stress that were the summer exams. With the obvious hints from our teachers, most of us had started studying in May, though some were a little more enthusiastic about that than others. With just over one more week until the exams started, Peter and I were sitting in the common room revising together much like the other students. But as usual, we were the last ones there while everyone else had given up a few hours ago and gone to bed. If I'd had my way, we would have joined them a long time ago, which was why I was trying to convince Peter to leave.

With a heavy sigh, I rubbed at my eyes as I placed my final textbook into my bag, before fixing Peter with a sharp look that he blatantly ignored. The single lamp on the table was the only source of light in the room, but even in the semi-darkness I could see the dark circles under Peter's eyes that were becoming more and more prominent. Reaching forward, I grabbed his textbook and pulled it away, Peter too tired to react in time and take it back off me. But he could still give me a fiery glare despite that.

"Peter, _please go to bed_." I pleaded.

"I can't! I still need to learn this paragraph. You can go to bed if you want, but I'm not moving yet." he argued defiantly.

"You've been learning it for the last half an hour, you're not getting anywhere. And I know if I leave you alone, I'll come down in the morning to find you still sitting here like the last time." I pointed out, much to Peter's chagrin.

"...That was _one_ time."

"That you shouldn't repeat. And anyway, it's still a week to final exams. You've covered everything else already, so there's no need to panic."

"I know that, but I'd rather spend the last week looking over everything than trying to learn it."

"You're impossible, you know that?" I said irritably.

"I know, you've told me this plenty of times before." Peter replied, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

"Then why do you insist upon it?"

"I believe it's to do with my stubborn tendencies. Which, as I recall, was one of the reasons you married me."

"What makes you say that?"

"It's what you said the night of the raid on the Telmarine castle, just as we were walking back to the How."

"How did you even hear me say that?!"

"I didn't. Susan told me."

_Thanks so much, Su._

"You are overly stubborn, though."

Peter smiled mischievously, "I don't deny it."

Suddenly, Peter put his arms around my waist and pulled me back as he lay on the sofa, holding me securely against him

"Peter, I already know you're stubborn, there's no need to prove it." I said as I laughed, wriggling as I struggled to break free, but he held me fast against him.

"We could just sleep here you know." he suggested, and I didn't have to look at him to know that he was smiling.

"Oh no, I'd rather leave you here until the morning on your own."

"We'd probably wake up before anyone else comes down, it is a Saturday you know."

"I think you forget, my dear, that I am also very stubborn, and this is an argument that you will not win."

"Perhaps, but I'm a lot stronger than you."

_Damn it._

"Would you really hold me against my will?"

Peter smirked, "To win an argument with you, yes."

"Fantastic. But would you mind moving your elbow? It seems to be embedded in my scar."

Peter immediately moved his arm and relaxed his hold on me, looking guilty.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know. But it's why I trust you."

xXx

_**Two days later**_

A party for first years was to be held that night in Jack's house, one of Peter's friends who was also in my English classes. It was to allow everyone one night to let lose before exams officially started, though I'd had to coax Peter into going rather than staying and studying.

"Alice, are you ready?" I called distractedly, flitting around the room as I tried to find my purse.

"Yes, are y-you?" she replied as she emerged from her bedroom.

"Just looking for my...aha! Never mind, I found my purse. Shall we?"

I finally looked up at Alice, and smiled widely when I saw her.

"Tom isn't going to know what hit him." I said with a laugh as she blushed.

Alice was dressed in a knee length scarlet red dress that contrasted well with her blonde hair, having put it up in a bun but allowed a few curls to fall lose and frame her face. Beautiful really was the only word I could use to describe her. She smiled tentatively at me, stepping towards the door.

"Neither will Peter. And the emerald green was a very smart choice of colour."

I laughed, "Well, if Charlotte likes to remind me so much that I'm Irish, I've nothing to lose now have I?"

xXx

"How nice of you ladies to finally join us." Tom joked as Alice and I appeared in the common room.

"Well, we do have to put in a lot more time and effort than you two." I pointed out, standing next to Peter as he put his arm around my waist and drew me against him.

"Anna's right, you know." Martha added as she, Jack, Elizabeth, Kathleen, John and Ben joined Peter, Alice, Tom and I.

A lighthearted debate broke out between the group over the amount of time girls really needed to get ready, but I just laughed quietly as Elizabeth explained why the boys were wrong and the girls were right. While everyone bickered jokingly, Peter lowered his head to bring his lips against my ear, whispering quietly so that only I could hear.

"You look beautiful."

I felt myself begin to blush, but I turned to look at him as he gave me an amused smile at my reaction.

"Thank you. But while you do look good in a suit, I still think I prefer the old style." I replied quietly, Peter smiling widely as he instantly caught the meaning of my words.

"Well, if you two are finished staring at each other in an overly lovey and slightly sickening way, I think we should go." Jack called cheerily, everyone else laughing.

"So what do you call the look you give Martha, Jack?" Peter shot back playfully, causing his friend and Martha to blush slightly.

"Let's j-just go before s-someone starts a f-fight!" Alice said with a laugh.

xXx

The party was held in Jack's house after he and his brothers volunteered to host it. His parents were in Birmingham for the week, and the house was massive with more than enough space to accommodate everyone who had been invited. While the party was mainly for first years, since Jack's twin brothers Ryan and Daniel were in third year, a few from their classes had also been invited.

When we arrived at the house, it seemed as if most of our year were already there and the loud music thrummed through the house, giving it a pulsating and vibrating energy as people danced or mingled together in small groups.

"It's so kind of you to show up, little brother." a man said teasingly as he joined us, ruffling Jack's sandy coloured hair a little before another man who was identical to him also approached with a wide grin.

"This is Ryan and Daniel, my brothers." Jack said by way of introduction, though he made sure to send them a warning look as they grinned devilishly at him.

"Ah, this must be Martha. Hello, Jack never shuts up about you." one of the brothers said gleefully, though I wasn't sure if it was Ryan or Daniel.

"Really, Dan?" Jack deadpanned, Martha blushing profusely.

"Yes, really. Now, would all of you lovely people care for a drink?" the twin who I assumed to be Daniel asked, ignoring the look of murder from his brother and giving us all a courteous smile. But there was still a glint of mischief in his eyes, including his twin brothers. We all agreed and were lead to a large kitchen, where Ryan and Daniel showed us one of the biggest collections of alcohol I had ever seen, besides the cellars of Cair Paravel.

"I think this will do nicely for the ladies." one of them said, who I thought to be Ryan, as he picked up a green glass bottle and began to pour the contents in to several glasses. As it was handed out, I took a small sip and prepared myself, but found to my surprise that I actually liked this drink. Since coming back, we had found the alcohol here always tasted bitter and dry compared to Narnian drink. Peter, who had been watching me closely for my reaction, laughed quietly at my expression.

"I suppose that means you like it?" he asked.

I nodded, "It's really not that bad."

"Hey, aren't you doing medicine?" Ryan suddenly asked Peter, giving him a curious look.

Peter nodded, "Yes, I am."

Ryan's face lit up, "I knew I recognised you from somewhere! How are you liking it so far?"

"It's challenging, but I'm enjoying it." Peter replied with a smile.

Ryan laughed, "Just wait until you hit second year medicine. It'll make you wish you'd never picked it!"

"I don't know about you, but they remind me a little bit of Em and Josh." he said quietly, gesturing subtly to Ryan and Daniel once the formers attention had been caught by something else.

I smiled, "I know what you mean. I wonder if it's always twins who have a penchant for mischief?"

"It wouldn't surprise me."

xXx

For the next few hours, we all danced together or sat and talked on one of the many sofas and armchairs in the house. While I had picked up the dances quite easily at Cair Paravel, I wasn't as confident with dances such as the Charleston or Jitterbug, finding them to be quite fast. Everyone had gotten a good laugh from Peter trying to teach me the Charleston, though Ben also needed to be coached by Kathleen and Elizabeth likewise by John. I would have fallen to the floor at one point, had Peter not been holding on to me.

"I say we forget about this and just start dancing like we used to." I whispered, Peter grinning widely at me.

"Only if you have a good excuse to explain it. And besides, this is a little more entertaining."

"Thanks." I said dryly, but Peter only laughed.

"Anytime."

"Hey Anna, will you come to the kitchen with me. It looks like you could use a drink too." Kathleen called jokingly.

"I'm coming!" I called back, "Do you want anything?" I asked Peter.

"No, I'm good thanks. But make sure you don't drink anything that will make you even more clumsy." he teased.

"Tosser." I muttered, earning a laugh from Peter as I joined Kathleen.

xXx

"You're not really a bad dancer." Kathleen said reassuringly as we searched through the cupboards in the kitchen, "Once you get the steps in your head it'll be much easier."

"I hope so, otherwise I'll never hear the end of it!" I replied.

Kathleen laughed, but before she could reply, we were startled by the kitchen door slamming open.

"Anna, you'd better come see this! Quickly!" Martha cried frantically as she ran over to me, Alice by her side and looking extremely worried as they joined me. I quickly glanced from one woman to the other with confusion, before they suddenly took hold of my hands and pulled me through to the next room.

When we arrived at the scene, there was already a reasonably sized crowd of students gathered in a wide circle as they shouted and jeered, occasionally emitting wild, raucous cheers. We pushed our way through the mass of bodies to the front, but I had already begun to suspect what was happening before I could see it.

As we finally found an opening and pushed through, I caught a glimpse of William punching Peter in the face, a concerning amount of blood pouring from the latter's nose. I momentarily froze as my stomach turned at the violent scene, my mind all too easily recalling the fight in the train station before we were pulled back in to Narnia and Peter's duel with Miraz. Without thinking, I ran forward in an attempt to stop them, but one of William's friends easily caught me around the waist and threw me backwards with a laugh. I fell to the ground, but Martha and Alice were quickly at my side and pulling me back up. I tried to break free from their hold, but I was securely restrained from running forward again as they held me around my waist and shoulders.

"No! Stop it, you'll kill him!" I screamed desperately.

But my pleas were ignored as two of William's friends appeared and grabbed Peter by the arms, while William continued to hit and punch him. Peter tried to fight back by kicking out, but William was just about able to dodge the attack. His friends then forced Peter to his knees, though not without some difficulty as Peter fought back and almost managed to break free from their iron grip. It wasn't hard for me to see that he was furious, and I knew that Peter was imagining all of the things he would do if he had his sword. William then aimed a heavy kick at Peter's stomach, causing him to cry out and double over with pain, his head bent as he breathed heavily.

"Peter!" I called, struggling harder than ever to reach him.

Peter's head snapped up, his eyes quickly locked with mine, as he mouthed two words to me;

_'I'm sorry.'_

William noticed our brief exchange, and quickly glanced at me before turning back to Peter with a sadistically gleeful smile and punching him in the face again.

"Someone stop them!" I cried, looking around desperately for any sign of Peter's friends.

"Alice, where's Tom?" Martha asked with panic, still trying to hold me back.

"I..." Alice began, before Tom and Jack suddenly appeared and began to pull William and his friends off Peter.

Once he was able to break free, Peter stumbled back and fell to the floor with a dazed and disorientated expression, his hand gingerly coming up to cover his nose and the blood flowing from it. Meanwhile, Tom and Jack fought to keep William and his friends from attacking Peter, and I saw my opportunity to break free from Alice and Martha; both too distracted by Tom and Jack to be paying enough attention to me. I pulled myself free from their grasp and bolted forward, dodging past William as Tom held him back just long enough to let me pass by. Giving him a quick look of thanks, I finally reached Peter and knelt next to him, pulling him further back out of William's way.

"Oh God." I said hoarsely, horrified at the state Peter had been left in.

"I've had much more serious injuries, you know." he pointed out.

"But there's none of Lucy's healing cordial here." I reminded him.

Peter was about to give his reply, but we were both distracted by Charlotte's sudden appearance.

"Will, stop this now!" Charlotte cried, her dark green eyes flashing dangerously with anger as she tried to pull her boyfriend away from Tom.

"Charlotte, get away from here!" Tom yelled, holding William back from turning and advancing on her.

"No, I'm not putting up with this anymore!"

"You keep your mouth shut and fuck off!"

"Don't you dare talk to her like that!"

"I'll talk to her how I please, you bastard!"

Without warning, William flung Tom from him so that he landed on the floor. But the impact had winded him, and he lay on the floor as he struggled to get his breath back. I glanced at Alice, who was looking at Tom with a concerned and worried expression, but Martha placed a restraining hand on her arm before she could move forward.

"Leave him alone! If you hurt him again, I swear..." Charlotte said fiercely, but William cut over her.

"Or what? You can't do anything. You _won't_ do anything you pathetic little twit." he taunted.

Charlotte stiffened, but the look of pure hatred and anger that she gave William was so intense, even I was a little frightened of her. And also thankful that she hadn't looked at me with that expression yet, because I certainly wouldn't have won that fight.

"I'm pathetic?" she whispered, her voice dangerously soft, "I'm not the one who has to gain control by abusing others and beating them."

William looked stunned for a moment, before his hands closed in to tight fists and he became almost red with rage.

"I'll teach you to talk back to me, you bitch!" William roared, towering over Charlotte as she froze under his massive form, before he struck her hard across the face with the back of his hand and knocked her to the floor.

There was a collective gasp of shock from everyone in the room, all of staring open mouthed in horror at William as he stood over Charlotte, breathing heavily and glaring down at her now suddenly small and vulnerable body. The silence in the room only added to the tension, the only sound now coming from the record player blasting in the other room; the upbeat tunes of The Mills Brothers now sounding more mocking than jovial. Everyone seemed to have taken several steps back from us, but I noticed that Alice and Martha had rushed over to Charlotte and began to move her away from William. But he was having none of it, and suddenly lurched forward to grab Alice's upper arm and roughly shove her away from Charlotte. At this I tried to move forward to help, but Peter anticipated my reaction and firmly held on to me so that I couldn't move. I shot him a pleading look, but he shook his head and gave me an apologetic look, but I knew that nothing would ever convince him to release me.

It turned out that I wasn't needed in the end.

Tom seemingly came out of nowhere, like an angry bull to a scarlet red flag. He tackled William to the floor, both men landing on the ground with heavy grunts. William squirmed underneath Tom's grip as he pinned him down, but was quickly subdued by Tom punching him in the face. Tom then roughly grabbed William's shirt and pulled his face up to his level, his voice an uncharacteristic quiet growl filled with anger and venom, but in the silence of the room it was as if he were screaming instead.

"I swear, if you _ever_ hurt anyone I love again, if you ever so much as _look_ at them, I promise that I will make sure you regret it for the rest of your life. Do you understand me?"

William's only reply was a contemptuous glare, but Tom was not to be swayed or take pity on him today.

"Do you understand me?" he repeated, each word clearly enunciated.

"Yes." William snapped, continuing to glare up at Tom even as Jack approached and began to pull him away.

"Come on mate, let's just go." Jack said quietly, bringing Tom back to his feet and dragging him away, William's friends also stepping forward to help him up. Though they made sure to glare heavily at us, but Tom kept his eyes firmly locked on William even as he was pulled away.

"Can you stand?" I asked Peter, eyeing the stream of blood still coming out of his nose.

"Yeah, I think so." he replied, but even as he moved I saw his grimace of pain as he clutched his stomach where William had kicked him.

"Are you all right, mate?" Jack called over to us, the crowd now no longer interested and beginning to disperse.

"I'll be fine." Peter replied hoarsely, though I was struggling a little to support his weight as he leaned against me once we were both standing. Thankfully, Jack and Tom noticed this and came over to help.

"Let me find Ryan, he can check you over." Jack volunteered, though Peter looked unsure.

"I don't think..." he began, but I didn't allow him to finish.

"If Ryan doesn't mind, that'd be great." I said, Jack glancing uncertainly from Peter to me.

"All right." Peter muttered, knowing that I would only insist on taking him to a doctor if he didn't let Ryan see to him.

Jack nodded and left to find his brother, Tom and I guiding Peter to the nearest seat and helping him sit on it.

"Thanks, Tom." Peter said quietly.

Tom gave him a small smile, "I'm the only one who gets to mess you around." he joked.

Peter and Tom began to laugh, but Peter suddenly doubled over and gasped, the action obviously having hurt him a lot more than he had anticipated.

"That was some kick you took." Tom said with concern.

"I've had worse."

"It was quite impressive, I'll admit." Charlotte suddenly said, and I stared at her in surprise. She only gave me a quick nod of acknowledgment, but she soon turned her attention back to Peter and Tom.

"Thank you. Both of you."

Tom reached forward and pulled his cousin in to a silent hug, while I looked at Peter for an explanation. I was now beginning to suspect that the fight had something to do with Charlotte too, and I gave him a questioning look.

"I'll explain everything later, I promise. But please not now." Peter said wearily.

I hesitated before nodding and then pulled Peter in to a tight embrace, though always mindful of his injuries. I couldn't help but think of all the times after he had been in a battle I'd had to handle him like a fragile porcelain doll, as if any sudden movement would cause him to shatter to pieces.

"Don't ever scare me like that again." I whispered.

"I'll try."

Once Charlotte had released him, Tom turned to Alice and Martha; both of whom had been standing a little way off and watching us. But as he drew nearer Alice's eyes became wide and her face became quite pale, taking a few steps back. Tom came to a stop, looking just as confused as the rest of us while Alice continued in her retreat.

"Alice, what's wrong?" Tom asked softly, trying again to step forward but only making Alice take even bigger steps away from him.

"I...I...I c-can't...I'm s-sorry." she choked, tears forming in her eyes before she turned and ran from the room.

We all exchanged looks of shock and surprise, wondering on earth what was going on. Tom turned to us with a troubled and heartbroken expression, though he was clearly just as confused as the rest of us. I exchanged a brief look with Martha, who then ran after Alice.

"What's wrong with Alice?" Peter questioned me, but not even I was sure why she had acted so strangely. I was about to reply, but Charlotte spoke before I could.

"Isn't it obvious? She's afraid of you." she said quietly to Tom, who looked horrified at the idea.

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

Instead of receiving the caustic remark that I was expecting, Charlotte instead turned to me with a patient yet pitying look, her voice unusually quiet and soft.

"Alice is afraid of Tom and what he can do. I know that look."

_You've got to be kidding me._

xXx

"I don't think it's broken. The bleeding should stop soon and the swelling will go down in a day or two. You may have a few bruises though, especially on your stomach. Just try to take it easy for a few days and you should be fine." Ryan said as he looked Peter over.

"Thank you. For stopping them." I said quietly to Tom while Ryan said all of this.

He glanced at me before shrugging, "Well, I wasn't going to sit there and let them get away with it."

"But it may have cost you Alice."

"Perhaps. Will you talk to her for me? Make sure that she's ok?"

"I will, Tom."

xXx

When we had arrived back at Kingston, Tom had assured me he would take care of Peter and helped him to the dorm. I made my way to my own room, and was surprised to find Alice sitting on the sofa having already changed out of her dress and into her pyjamas. She looked up when she heard me enter, and I immediately moved to sit in the chair opposite her.

"Want to talk about it?" I asked softly.

Alice bit her lip, looking unsure of what to say, before she decided to ask me something.

"Have you ever b-been afraid of P-peter? Of his strength and wh-what he could do t-to you if he were to s-suddenly snap?" she asked quietly.

Her question shocked me, because I had to admit that it was never something that had crossed my mind. Obviously I had seen him fight both with weapons and without, but I had never feared him or even thought that he would hurt me. His physical power was something that had always made me feel safe and protected; the way he would always have let me win our spars and made sure his blades never touched me, and how we would always work together in battles to protect each other. I had always trusted him, and subsequently never questioned this trust. Peter was the type of person who would use his strength to protect those he loved, and I was certain that Tom would do the same. It was really what he had been doing at the party, but Alice obviously didn't see it that way.

"It's not something that I've ever feared, no." I replied slowly.

"But I d-do."

"Alice, Tom was only trying to keep you safe. William hurt you when he had no right to, and anyone would want to stop that if they could."

Alice didn't reply for a while, and we both sat in silence for a few minutes as she stared out of the window. But eventually, she spoke again.

"C-can I t-tell you something?"

"If you want to."

"When I w-was younger, my d-dad used to hit my m-mum. Not very often or h-hard, but it sc-scared me every time he raised his h-hand to her, because I knew h-he was a lot stronger than her, and th-that he could easily hurt her if he w-wanted."

"I didn't know that." I said with surprise, her revelation contrasting starkly with the seemingly very happy family that she had described so fondly to me.

"But Alice, Tom isn't your father. He tried to protect you and Peter, and the only way he could have done that was to fight back. Please, at least consider the situation from his point of view and give him a chance. I'm certain Tom would never hurt you or anyone else like that."

"I'll think about it."

* * *

So what do you all think? Is Alice's fear justified, or has Anna been a little too naive and trusting and can't properly see her side of the argument? And will Charlotte and Anna's relationship change now?


	9. Chapter 9

*Peeks out from rock author has been hiding under* Hello! Exams have now finished, I have infinite amounts of free time for the next two months and summer has officially begun! Which means I am now back to Fanfiction writing! I've missed writing this story and doing updates, so I'm looking forward to getting back on track. As always, my never ending thanks to the people who left reviews and added this story to their favourites or alerts, and also to those who continued to do so in my absence. Please leave a review if you wish; I love them! I'm almost finished with the next chapter, but I'm heading for Spain on Friday for two weeks so I may not be able to post anything again for a little while. This isn't a great chapter, but the next one will definitely be a lot more exciting. And lastly, is there something you want to see happen in this fic? Feel free to leave some comments, because I'm always up to suggestions for the next chapter! Thanks again for waiting everyone, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

MCH: Thanks for your review :) I did intend William and his friends to be a parallel to the gang at the start of Prince Caspian, mainly to show how Peter is still struggling with adjusting back to life in England. You'll see more about Charlotte and Alice in this chapter. And I agree with that completely, because it could have been possible that Peter didn't regain his control or temper. This will be touched upon in this chapter as well.

Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER: Charlotte and Alice are both in this chapter, so you'll be able to see the outcome. Thanks for reviewing!

Katie: Thank you so much and I'm glad you like this story :) You'll see all of that and more now, I promise!

Lairyfight: Thank you, my friend! I'm glad you enjoyed my last chapter :) I'm going to let people make their assumptions about Alice's stutter for now, but it will be talked about later on in this fic. Charlotte and Anna's relationship will definitely change now, which you'll see later on. Now that last paragraph put a big stupid smile on my face! Your comments are what make me love writing and continuing this fic, because there's no better thing in this world than being able to make people happy! Wow, that was cheesy. But anyway, I hope you enjoy this new chapter :)

P.S I was wondering why I didn't see your name in my inbox for a long time!

* * *

The morning after the party was a quiet one in Kingston. To my surprise, I was the only one awake before mid-day. I didn't want to disturb Alice or Charlotte, so I sat in our living room and read over one of my exam texts to pass the time. While I desperately wanted to go and see Peter, I also didn't want to risk encountering William and starting another altercation. I'd have to wait until either Tom or Peter left the room to see either one of them.

I heard one of the bedroom doors open, and looked up expecting to see Alice. But it was Charlotte who emerged from her bedroom, looking a little disheveled. She looked surprised when she saw me sitting on one of the armchairs, and we stared at each other for a few moments, unsure what to do or say.

_Great._

"Good morning," Charlotte said slowly.

I was a little taken a back at her greeting, because never once had she uttered these words to me.

_Am I hearing things?_

"Uh...morning," I replied a little stupidly after an uncomfortably long silence.

"Would you like some tea?" she asked uncertainly, moving to the kitchen area.

"I'm fine, thanks," I answered.

"Anna," Charlotte said slowly, and I turned to look at her. "I know I haven't been exactly pleasant to you, but I just wanted to say...well, say that I'm sorry really. I had no right to treat you the way I did, or blame you for something that you didn't do. I don't expect us to become best friends or anything, but I think you'll agree that we can at least be civil to each other."

_Thank Aslan for that._

"I'd like that," I said. "But I have to apologise too. I wasn't very nice to you either."

"I think we'll just agree that both of us were wrong and we'll leave it at that," Charlotte said with a small smile, pausing before she continued. "Peter's a good man. You're lucky to have him. Not many people have ever bothered to stand up for me, but I'm grateful that he did. Though I am sorry that he got hurt," she added.

"He's strong and taken a couple of hits before, Peter won't take long to recover," I assured her. "But what did cause that fight last night?"

"Peter didn't tell you?" Charlotte asked with surprise.

I shook my head. "No, he asked me to wait until later."

"I think it'd be best for him to explain."

"Charlotte?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry we didn't notice anything."

"It's not your fault, Anna. William made sure to hide it so that no one would notice; not even a teacher. And I suppose I did too."

I didn't know how to reply to that. My mouth opened and closed several times as I thought of something to say, then instantly decided against it thinking it sounded too sarcastic or mocking. Charlotte said nothing more either, quietly working in the kitchen before retreating back to her room with a nod. Not long after, an exhausted looking Alice shuffled out of her room. She ran a hand through her tangled blonde curls, her brow furrowed and her expression suggesting that she was in deep thought.

"Morning," I called, causing Alice to jump and gasp in surprise.

"A-Anna! You sc-scared m-me!" she exclaimed, sounding as close to angry as I had ever heard.

"I'm sorry," I said slowly, a little confused at her strange behaviour.

Alice, who had become quite tense, began to relax again, though she looked guilty for having shouted.

"You d-don't need to b-be. S-orry, I sh-shouldn't have snapped a-at you l-like that," she apologised, sitting next to me.

"Alice," I began.

"Y-yes?" she asked cautiously

"Tom's a good guy. He's upset that you're upset and won't talk to him. You know that he won't hurt you, and he just wants to be able to talk to you and explain everything. Please will you just talk to him? He's sitting in the common room right now," I pleaded.

"W-will you st-stay in the room with m-me?"

"If that's what you want."

Fifteen minutes later and with a quick reassurance to Alice, we walked in to the common room to see Peter and Tom conversing quietly together in a corner. Alice faltered a little when she saw them, and I stopped next to her as she stared at the two boys who had not yet noticed our entrance.

"Are you alright?" I asked quietly.

Alice nodded slowly. "I'll b-be fine. I n-need to d-do this," she said, but I think more to convince herself than me.

I then led the way in to the room, Tom and Peter finally noticing us when we were about ten feet away. Peter immediately stood, while Tom rose much more slowly as he kept his eyes on Alice.

"We'll leave you two alone," I said, and Tom nodded.

Alice shuffled past Peter and me with her head down as we moved to another corner of the room, but I managed to give her an encouraging smile when she caught my eye. She tentatively returned it before sitting opposite Tom, who began to speak to her in a low, cautious voice.

"Thank you for getting her to talk. Tom's been absolutely miserable for the last few hours," Peter said.

"It didn't take that much to convince her," I replied distractedly. "Are you ok after last night?"

"There's been no more bleeding and the bruising isn't too bad, which is always good," he answered.

"You know that's not what I meant," I said.

"You mean did nasty William psychologically scar poor little Peter?" he asked with a short, humourless laugh.

"Stop it, I've been worried sick about you all night!"

"Ok, I'm sorry. But seriously, I'm fine. I've had much worse," he pointed out.

"That's not the point. The last time I saw you that badly hurt was when you fought Miraz," I said.

"Anna, I'm completely fine. There's no need for you to worry," Peter reassured me soothingly.

"It's my job," I muttered, and Peter smiled when he heard me.

"At any rate, you should be more concerned about Alice. What happened when you got back?" he asked.

"Alice and I talked, but what she said surprised me," I explained.

"What did she say?"

I hesitated for a moment, but knew that it was too late now to maintain a silence.

"She asked me if I'd ever thought about how much physical power you have over me, and if I'd ever been afraid of you," I said.

Peter paused, looking surprised for a moment.

"Have you ever been afraid of me?" he asked slowly.

I shook my head. "No, never. I've always trusted you."

"Alice does have a point."

I frowned. "How so?"

"You've always known that I was careful and never spared with you at full strength, because I was afraid of hurting you. But even then that didn't always work. And after we came back, I was always fighting with someone and if I wasn't I was usually just angry all of the time. When I realise how easy it could have been for you to get caught up in that, or even if I had suddenly lost it...it doesn't bear thinking about," Peter explained.

"Peter, you've never given me a reason to feel unsafe or not trust you. Even during our worst arguments, I always knew you'd never physically hurt me. You were angry at having to leave, we all were, but everyone dealt with it differently. Yes, sometimes I wanted to kill you for being so reckless and getting in to fights, but other times I knew that it was going to happen and there was nothing that I could do," I argued.

"But why did you end up in a fight with William at the party?" I added.

"As you would probably say, I was being too noble for my own good."

"Seriously, Peter."

"William made some very inappropriate comments about several of the ladies present at the party; you, Charlotte, Martha, Kathleen and Elizabeth included. I wasn't going to listen to it any more, so I politely asked him-"

I raised an eyebrow at that statement, giving Peter a disbelieving look. He paused and then sighed, before continuing with his story.

"Ok, I told him to shut up in what was probably the most impolite way possible. He refused, became very aggressive and shoved me. Then, I hit him. You know what happened after that," he said with a shrug.

"Why is it that you always end up in a fight after someone pushes you?" I asked exasperatedly.

"It wasn't just because of what he was saying that I hit him," Peter defended.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Peter opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated as he quickly glanced around the room. When he was satisfied that no one was listening to our conversation, he leaned closer to me.

"Tom and I knew that William had hit Charlotte before," he said a low voice.

"What?!" I exclaimed loudly, cringing as my sudden outburst earned us a few startled and curious looks from other students in the room.

When everyone had finally lost interest in us, Peter moved closer to me and spoke quietly.

"A day or two before the party, Tom and I found her in tears outside in the grounds. She tried to hide her face, but Tom had already seen the damage," he explained quietly. "It was awful, Anna. I never thought someone could hurt a person so badly with just their hand, even after everything we've seen. We decided to go and find William and tell him exactly what we thought of him, even though Charlotte tried to stop us. But when we confronted him he pulled out a knife, threatened both of us and then promised to hurt you and Alice if we said anything," Peter finished, his voice faltering slightly at the end.

"Peter...Why didn't you tell me anything?"

"I was afraid he'd hurt you, and I wouldn't be able to protect you. But I shouldn't have let him win. I shouldn't have let him control me like that and allow him to get away with what he'd done. But when I heard him talking at the party, something just snapped. I knew that the man I was a few years ago would have run me through with my own sword if I'd been such a coward as High King. So I hit him, because that was all I could do," he finished, his frustration obvious.

I took Peter's hands in mine and he looked back at me with an uncertain expression.

"Don't let William make you think you're any less of the man that you are, not even for a second," I insisted. "You're so much better than him. He tried to manipulate and scare everyone into helping him hide what he'd done, and that makes him the coward. You were placed in an impossible situation, and I don't blame you for saying nothing. And remember; Peter Pevensie and Anna O'Brien and High King Peter and High Queen Anna aren't separate people. They never were. They're the best of us, and sometimes the worst of us, combined together. Just because you didn't know what to do doesn't change any of that," I said.

"But I should have said _something_. He could have hurt Charlotte so many more times because I wanted to protect you more than her. It scared me when I thought about how easily he could get to you here, and I didn't want to take a risk," he argued.

"It's always been this way with you, Peter. You've always worked so hard to protect everyone; me, Susan, Edmund, Lucy, Josh, Emma and Narnia included. It's the best thing about you, even if you can get caught up in trying to keep us safe. But you can say something now. We can go find someone and talk to them," I insisted.

Peter shook his head. "It's too late now. William's gone. The dormitory advisor told us this morning that William had left Kingston and wouldn't be coming back. He wouldn't tell us why, but he promised that he's gone for good. He'll only be coming in and out to do his exams and that's it. Charlotte doesn't want to go to the police about it, and I don't want to explain about the fight. What's done is done."

It seemed at this point there was nothing more that could be done. I was angry that William had gotten away with hurting Charlotte and blackmailing Peter and Tom, but as long as he didn't come back and bother us anymore then that was the next best thing.

"He's definitely gone?" I asked sceptically.

"William won't be a problem anymore," Peter replied.

"Thank Aslan."

xXx

**_Three weeks later_**

"We're free! It's finally summer!" Kathleen sang, skipping down the corridor as I ran behind her laughing.

"Kathleen, slow down!" I called.

"That question about Romeo and Juliet was awful but I don't care because I don't ever have to look at it again!" she continued to sing, grabbing hold of my hands and spinning me around.

"Kat, stop!" I exclaimed, but I was still laughing as she grinned at me.

"Fine, kill my happiness," she teased.

"Oh no, if I really wanted to kill your happiness I'd remind you that you would have to look at Romeo and Juliet again if you had to repeat," I joked.

"How'd it go?" Martha called to us as she approached with Elizabeth and Alice in tow.

"Very well, except Anna is being a killjoy as usual," Kathleen giggled.

"Hey, I'm just stating a fact," I defended with a laugh.

"Sure you are," Kathleen replied, sticking her tongue out at me playfully.

"How very ladylike of you, Kat," Elizabeth said.

"Oh great, now I've got Queen Liz on me too!" Kathleen exclaimed, and even Elizabeth had to laugh then.

"You all sound very happy," Jack said cheerfully as he and the other boys joined us.

"It's summer, we have a right to be happy," I pointed out.

"Ok, ok, fair enough," Jack replied replied with a laugh.

"Technically, it's not summer for a week until we get out of here," Ben added.

"Honestly Ben, you're worse than Anna!" Kathleen groaned.

"Well, it is true," I said with a smile.

"Who cares, mate. Exams are over so we say it's summer," Jack continued.

"And that means we should celebrate," Tom interjected with a grin, his arm around Alice's waist.

We all looked at each other with knowing smirks.

"If by celebrate, you mean that dance we all talked about earlier, then I'm for it," Peter said.

Everyone laughed, and after we agreed to meet back in the common room in an hour we all returned to our rooms to get ready.

"Anna, h-help me pick a d-dress!" Alice called as she disappeared in to her bedroom, looking more excited than I'd seen in weeks.

"Ok, give me a minute," I called, smiling to myself.

I stopped when I noticed a figure sitting on one of the seats I was standing next to. Charlotte glanced up at me with a quick smile, before returning back to the book she was reading. I bit my lip, knowing that if I said what I was thinking, my friends would possibly kill me. But if Narnia taught me only one thing, it's that sometimes all someone needs is a hand to grab on to and pull them up, because only then will that person find the strength to face the world.

"Hey, Charlotte," I said.

Charlotte looked up at me, her expression one of surprise, but she said nothing.

"Some of us are going out to celebrate the end of exams. Do you want to come with us?"

She remained silent, regarding me silently with a look that I couldn't quite name. Then, just when I thought I was going to be given an answer, Charlotte nodded and stood.

"If no one minds..."


	10. Chapter 10

Hello again everyone. My apologies for taking so long to update again, but I have been at summer camp in Spain and free time was very limited! Also, this chapter is quite important so I had to re-write it several times before I was completely happy with the end result. Thanks to everyone for giving me such a warm welcome back :) I hope you all enjoy this new chapter!

Universal Indicator: And very happy to be back! I'm glad you do and thanks for reading :)

Lairyfight: Thank you, I'm very glad to see your username come up in my inbox again! I thought you might be happy to see Tom and Alice back together again, and I have some more plans for them in my head. Charlotte will begin to change and have a bigger presence in the story now, so do let me know what you think about that! That is an awesome suggestion, I will definitely try and get it in sometime soon! Thanks again for your review, and I am definitely here to stay this time!

Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER: Their relationship will definitely start to improve now, but you'll have to wait and see what happens!

Arya Stark: That's a good question and you phrased it very maturely. Well done. To answer it, they wouldn't have been able to be intimate since coming back from Narnia, because they've always either been separated or surrounded by other people. I don't think there would have been an opportunity for it. Also, I think considering the time period they're now living in Peter would have made sure they kept their distance in that respect.

Tinkertot95: I'm glad you do and thank you! Thank you for reading it and good luck with your own story, I'm sure it will be wonderful :)

* * *

The dance passed off without incident. Charlotte was very quiet for most of the night, but after a few dances she began to relax a little. She even accepted an invitation from a local boy to dance, although he was scrutinised heavily by Tom the entire time. When Peter had told his friend to relax, I had laughed and quietly pointed out that his comment was akin to the pot calling the kettle black.

It was almost midnight by the time we arrived back at Kingston, and we received stern looks from the grounds staff as we ran through the gates just before curfew. But we were on a high from the night, and everyone just laughed and joked around, paying the disgruntled staff no attention as they noisily locked the gate behind us.

We all sat in the common room for an hour or so, talking and laughing amongst ourselves. Even Charlotte joined in a little. But one by one, everyone began to excuse themselves, until only Peter and I remained.

"Are you still going to stay with us for a week when we get back?" Peter asked.

"The Professor had no problem with it, so I should like to think so," I said. "Then we'll be going to Tom's house for a week. Professor Kirk will begin to think I don't like living with him!"

"I doubt that," Peter laughed. "I've never met a kinder man. I don't think I'll ever be able to thank him enough for taking you in."

"He told me how you can do that," I said.

"He did?" Peter asked.

"Yes, he said you can go and learn about logic so that he doesn't have to keep explaining simple things; such as why your sister is telling the truth about the mysterious land in the back of the wardrobe," I laughed.

Peter smiled. "That seems fair enough."

"Oh, and that you stay at university to get a good job so we can get a house together sooner," I added.

"Sometimes it feels like we'll never get there," he said. "If this was Narnia, we'd be getting married in a year. Instead, we have to wait for another three years at least."

"What happened to good things come to those who wait?" I asked. "But it will happen, no matter what. I know it will."

"Yes, but you know how impatient I can be about this." Peter reminded me with a smile. "But at least we get to go home soon, which is as good as it will get for now. I like Kingston, but I miss Finchley."

"I just need a break. This is almost as exhausting as running a country," I joked. "But I miss Su, Ed and Lucy. Writing letters to each other isn't quite the same as being able to talk together, especially about Narnia."

"Lucy has demanded the first thing we do when we get back is meet up with Jill and Eustace to talk about Narnia and their adventure. Not that you'll need to hear it again," Peter said teasingly.

"I could probably tell the story for them," I laughed.

Peter paused for a moment, looking as if he didn't know how to say what he was thinking.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Have you talked much with Susan lately?" he asked.

_I knew he'd start to notice. _

"Just the usual letter every few weeks. Why?"

"Something's not right. Every time I mention Narnia to her in my letters she never responds to it. And Lucy's been telling me she does the same to her and Edmund when they talk about it," Peter explained.

"You know I can't tell you anything, Peter," I said.

"You don't need to."

**_Two days later_**

The now familiar piercing wail of the air raid sirens woke me with a start. I felt sick as I sat up and reached for the light next to my bed, my hands shaking a little as fear took hold of me. Grabbing the nearest coat and pair of shoes, I bolted from the room to find Alice and Charlotte also emerging from their rooms. We all exchanged a quick, frightened look before joining the group of students hastily making their way downstairs towards the shelter. It was eerily quiet in the corridor, save for the constant moan of the siren and blasts of ever approaching bombs. Some of the girls whispered to each other in hushed, solemn tones, but no one made any other noise.

"I h-hope the b-boys are alright," Alice whispered to me.

"They'll be fine. They're close enough to their own shelter anyway," I assured her, trying to calm my own nerves and thoughts of what would happen if...

"Quickly now, ladies! Come on, there's plenty of room in the back there! Move on up!" The calm and firm voice of Mrs Thompson, one of Alice's history teachers, easily carried through the night air and swelled to fill the large shelter we were all hurriedly filing in to.

"Ah, Miss Hughes." Mrs Thompson paused to flash Alice a quick smile. "I was just half way through marking your wonderful essay on Napoleon with a rather delightful cup of tea. I was very sorry to have to stop. One does have to wonder how we teachers can stay sane when faced with situations like this," she said brightly as we shuffled past her. Alice blushed but gave her teacher a pleasant smile all the same.

We quickly found an empty space on the long bench that stretched the length of the shelter and sat down. I saw Elizabeth and Kathleen sitting a little way down from us on the opposite side of the shelter, and I waved over to them. I scanned the room again in search of Martha, and caught sight of her when she half fell down the steps in to the shelter.

"Careful there, young lady!" Mrs Thompson said cheerily as she caught hold of Martha's arm to stop her from falling.

"Thanks, Miss," Martha replied, looking a little flustered and embarrassed, before she spotted Alice and me. She quickly scurried next to us and sat on the floor in front of us, smiling cheerfully up at us.

"Hello ladies! Trust these bloody Germans to come swooping in while I'm sitting in the common room trying to finish off my art work. I swear, if so much as a piece of dust gets on that painting, this war will be the least of their problems!" Martha said jokingly, and we all laughed quietly.

"Don't worry Martha, I'm sure the Germans wouldn't dare to cross you and incur such wrath!" I replied teasingly, and we all laughed again.

We remained in the shelter for a little over four hours until it was nearly six o'clock. I think I must have fallen asleep at some point, because the next thing I knew Alice was shaking me awake and telling me that it was safe to go back inside. As we were walking across the grounds, there were a few gasps of surprise when we saw that a bomb had landed very close to the far west corner of the building, charing the stone and causing part of the structure to cave in slightly. The damage was nothing too substantial, they'd probably have it fixed in a week or so, but I wouldn't have liked to have been there when it collapsed.

We continued through the humid night air and back in to the main building, but the smell of smoke lingered in the halls. Everyone was herded in to the main hall, the only space large enough to accommodate the entire school, even if it was a bit of a squeeze.

I scanned the room for any sign of Peter or Tom, but there were so many people moving around that it was almost impossible to see anyone.

"Anyone in first year, please gather over here!" Mr Doris, one of the dormitory advisors, called over the cacophony of noise.

"Come on, let's try and get through," I said to Alice and Charlotte.

We had to push our way through the mass of people, almost being knocked over several times whilst doing so as everyone tried to join with their friends. When we finally reached Mr Doris gave him our names, I began to search for Peter and Tom in the crowd but was still unable to find them. I turned to Alice and Charlotte.

"Can you see Peter or Tom?" I asked, trying to sound as if I wasn't as worried as I really felt.

"No, I've been looking but I can't see them either," Charlotte said.

"And I can't find Jack, Ben or John," Martha added, biting her lip.

_Please, no. Please let them be here._

Just as I was about to ask Mr Doris if any of the boys had been registered, the Principal of Kingston, Professor Henley, stood on the platform and called for everyone's attention. Silence swept through the room and not a single person moved. My heart pounded in my chest, hoping that she wouldn't prove my worried thoughts to be right.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your speedy exit of the building and co-operation with the staff. Your behaviour was excellent and I am very pleased with you all," he called, moving his gaze around the room. "However, we have six students who are still unaccounted for. If they are now present or if anyone is aware of their whereabouts, please make yourself known. The names are as follows."

_Oh, Aslan. No._

"Jack Barnes, William Connolly, Benjamin Gormley, Peter Pevensie, John Quinn and Thomas Rutherford."

I had to breathe deeply to stop myself from throwing up at that point, and when I turned to Alice, Martha and Charlotte they all looked equally as shocked. I tried to find Elizabeth and Kathleen in the crowd, but I couldn't see them in the mass of bodies. The room fell silent as everyone waited to see if one of the boys would call out and show that they were safe, or if anyone knew what happened to them. Nothing happened for a few moments, and my anxiety grew until a boy who I recognised from Peter's medical classes spoke up in a thick Scottish accent.

"Wait, I saw somethin' funny going on when we were bein' evacuated," he announced, and everyone held their breath as they waited for him to continue. "I think that William lad seemed to be causin' some trouble," he continued, and the entire room turned to look at him.

"Do you know what happened, young man?" one of the senior teachers asked him.

"No, ma'am. I got pushed away before I could figure out what they were doin'. But there was definitely an argument or somethin'." he called out, and I could feel Alice tremble next to me. I grabbed her hand, feeling it shake like my own, and we held on tightly to each other.

The room broke out in feverish whispers, everyone speculating as to what had happened and the fate of the six boys who clearly had not made it to the shelter in time. I felt ready to be sick or pass out, and glancing at Alice, Charlotte and Martha they didn't look like they were far behind me.

The senior staff spoke amongst themselves with serious and grave expressions, probably trying to decide what to do. After a quick discussion, it seemed they had made their decision and a group of them hurried across the room as quickly as they could through the students.

"We ask that everyone please remain in the hall until it is deemed safe for you to go back to the dorms. Feel free to take a seat but please do not leave this room," Professor Henley called.

"A-a-anna. Th-the b-boys," Alice choked tearfully, her grip on my hand tightening.

I stared at Alice, and for one of the first times in my life, I didn't have a clue about what I should do. I'd always been able to work out a solution to most situations, remained as calm as possible, thought with a clear mind. But now, I was scared beyond a level I had ever been scared in my life. Most people would laugh at that statement, saying that after everything you've faced; dying, going to Narnia, facing the Witch, almost dying again, ruling a country, fighting for it and losing it, how could this possibly be the most frightening thing you've ever faced? But for all of those situations, I had known things would be all right in the end. I had know that the people I loved would still be able to walk away, even if I didn't. Now, I had no information, no foresight and no control at all over what was happening. A faint voice in the back of my head reminded me of the events in Narnia that were yet to take place, but my doubt had pushed my mind over the edge to irrationality. What if I had interfered too much, and this was the price to pay? The man that I love could be lying dead in a pile of rubble, and it would be my fault.

"Alice, Anna!" Kathleen's hysterical call brought me back to reality for a few moments, and I looked around wildly for her distinct dark curls.

"Over here!" she called again, just off to my right, and waved her hand in the air.

"When I get my hands on those boys I'm going to give each of them such an earful!" Elizabeth fumed as they came to stand next to us, but the tears spilling down her cheeks gave her away.

"I think I'll join you," Kathleen said.

"I'd bet my good set of hair curlers that William was the reason they couldn't get to the shelter in time," Martha added angrily.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Charlotte muttered.

"We'll find out what's happened soon enough. Let's just sit down until we're allowed out of here," I said, noticing everyone else in the room begin to sit on the hard wooden floor.

In a little less than an hour, there was total silence again, save for a few short whispered conversations about the room.

After a while, Ryan and Daniel, Jack's twin brothers who we had met only a few weeks ago at the party, came over and sat beside us. Both men looked equally as distressed as the other.

"Just wanted to check that you ladies were alright," one of the twins asked, but I still wasn't sure which one it was.

"As good as we can be, I think," Martha replied, the rest of us remaining silent.

"I'm going to kill Jack when I get my hands on him. I don't know what any of them were thinking," the other twin added.

"We think it might not have been their fault," I explained.

"You all think William had something to do with it?" one of them asked.

"We know that he did," Elizabeth said firmly.

It was at this point that one of the senior staff came striding back in to the hall, and we all watched her anxiously as she made her way to the top of the room. The six of us waited as the atmosphere in the room grew tense when the other students noticed her return. The woman quickly spoke to the other teachers, one of whom gasped in shock and covered her mouth, and we instantly knew that it wasn't good news.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please," Professor Henley called in an authoritative tone, and silence fell across the entire room. Surveying us all with a serious expression, his eyes swept across the sea of faces in front of him, before delivering the news. "The situation we are faced with is much graver than we first thought. A body has been found in the western corridor of the boys dormitories. We are yet to establish the identity of the person, and this may take some time. The other five boys are still unaccounted for. Unfortunately, I can not give you anymore information at this moment. All students are to remain in this room..."

I stopped listening at that point, my mind too numb to take in anything more. Elizabeth had broken down in to shuddering sobs, Martha had her arms around her as she fought back her own tears and Kathleen had covered her mouth with her hand. Charlotte had simply sat there with her hands covering her face, but I swore I heard her muttering something along the lines of "William, you bastard", whilst Alice and I had turned to each other simultaneously, staring wordlessly at one other and at a complete loss as to what we should do.

The feeling of helplessness was unbearable, but also tangible in the room as everyone looked at each other uncertainly. Someone was dead, that someone could be any one of those six boys, and the others were still missing. We had no way of finding out who was safe, and it had put everyone on edge. Upon this realisation, my feelings of helplessness and anxiety only increased. The only thing that I could think to do now was pray to Aslan. Surely he had not abandoned us so entirely?

_Aslan, I'm afraid. I don't know what to do. Please, I need your help._

I waited then, hoping for a sign or a miracle of some sort. I'm not sure what I really expected, but I was willing to try anything; perhaps a set of magical instructions that would make everything all right if I followed them. But this time, silence was my only answer.

I don't know when, or even how with the thoughts that were constantly running through my head, but at some point I found myself standing under the arch on the beach below Cair Paravel. My mind instantly realised that this must be a dream, because I was quite certain that I was neither dead nor called back to Narnia. I stood there for what could have been for a few seconds or a few hours, but time did not seem to matter at all in this place and so I simply listened to the waves break against the rocks and come crashing to the shore, only to retreat and try again to overcome the barriers in their way each time. While I was aware that this must be a dream, it was one of the most vivid and clear dreams that I had ever had. I could easily pick out every grain of sand, rock, wave in the sea and object on the beach.

Then, I saw him.

Aslan stood at the far end of the beach, and I smiled broadly at the magnificent golden Lion that stood before me. He simply stared back at me, his calm amber eyes locked with mine.

"Aslan!" I cried happily, but a sudden rush of wind overpowered my voice and it was lost in the space between us. When I tried calling out again, the same thing happened. Puzzled, I tried to take a step towards Aslan, but I found that I could not move forward no matter how hard I tried. It seemed that an invisible barrier had been placed between us, and I didn't know how to break it down. I sank to my knees as my last piece of hope abandoned me, and I stared at Aslan who had remained silent and stationary.

_Aslan, please don't abandon me. I need you._

I waited for a reply of any kind, but it seemed that I would not get one. As the silence that was only broken by the sound of the sea continued, I began to become angry.

_Why did you bring me here if you weren't going to help me? Peter, Tom or any one of my friends could be dead, and when I ask for guidance I don't receive any. Why? Why is that, Aslan?_

Aslan continued to stare at me, and I looked back at him as I felt my sudden rush of anger quickly subside. It was soon replaced with a sense of shame and regret at my last words, and I bowed my head again as I was no longer able to look at Aslan in my guilt.

I stayed where I was and made no sound, sure that Aslan would end the dream and send me back to England once more. Fear took hold of my heart as I thought about having to leave Narnia again, even if it was only a dream. As I waited to have one of the things that I loved most in this world torn away from me again, I heard a small whisper in the wind, and it seemed to be speaking to me. I froze on the spot, not daring to move as I concentrated on the voice calling my name that I knew belonged to Aslan. I closed my eyes, reaching out in my mind to Aslan's voice, knowing it was now my only way to reach the Lion.

"Anna."

The gentle roar of the lion's voice was suddenly next to me, and I gasped as I looked up to find Aslan standing before me. He had grown again since the last time I had seen him.

"Aslan," I choked.

"Rise, my child," Aslan commanded gently, and I immediately stood.

"Aslan...I'm so sorry," I said.

"I know, dear one. But I have not brought you here to extract an apology. You have asked for help, Anna, and I give what assistance I can to those who remain faithful to me. However, it may not be the help that you expect," he revealed.

"What do you mean?" I asked, puzzled by his words.

"You know that I can not directly assist you, not in the world you currently live in. But I may help you through others and, if you look carefully enough, you will be able to see me guiding you. Your faith in me is strong, Anna. Let it lead you as it always has, and you will not falter. And remember, once a King or Queen, always a King or Queen. You know how to lead people in times of despair and difficulty; look to yours years of experience for help," Aslan explained.

I rushed to hug the Lion, burying my face in his smooth fur, attempting to seek what comfort I could as fear took hold of my heart again.

"I'm afraid, Aslan," I said quietly.

"Without fear, we may never know courage. Trust in yourself, Daughter, just as those who love you most place their trust in you," Aslan replied.

I stood to face the Lion again, and everything around us began to fade away. I knew that it was now time for me to go back, and I would have to face the challenge that lay before me. But even with Aslan's help, I was still uncertain of the rocky path that I would have to take.


	11. Chapter 11

Hello everyone! My apologies for making you all wait so long for an update, as I didn't intend to keep you waiting, but life does tend to get in the way of things even if it is summer! My thanks as always to my reviewers and those who added this story to their favourites or alerts. Have I ever mentioned how awesome you all are? Here's chapter 11 without any further delay. Enjoy!

Hockeychick19: You'll find out what's happened to him in this chapter. I'm glad you liked it and thanks for reading!

SARAHBABE215: All shall be revealed in this chapter, I promise!

Narnia and Harry Potter 4 EVER: You'll see what's happened to him in this chapter, don't worry!

MythicalGirl17: My apologies, I didn't intend to make it that upsetting! Hopefully this chapter won't have the same effect.

MCH: You're absolutely right. No matter what world you live in, Aslan will always be there to guide you, even when it looks like there is no hope. And yes, William was never going to take any of that lying down. (Your last sentence made me think of Gandalf with the use of the word pass, which I promise is a good thing!)

Samdel1997: Thank you so much for reading all of them and leaving a review, because it makes me very happy that you liked them! I hope you enjoy this new chapter :)

Sarahmichellegellarfan1: Wow! Thank you for taking the time to read and review every single story in this series. You're amazing! I hope you continue to enjoy my updates.

Lairyfight: All shall be revealed now, I promise! Maybe I was a little cruel, but after all, an author has to get her kicks from somewhere! ;)

* * *

"Anna?"

_Aslan!_

I woke with a start, flinching away from the hands that shook me. It was only when I looked up and saw Alice and Charlotte that I began to relax.

"Anna, are y-you alright?" Alice asked with concern.

"Yeah, you just surprised me. I must have fallen asleep," I said, sitting up and looking around the room. Everyone was now leaving. "What's going on?"

"Ah, I see Sleeping Beauty is finally awake," Elizabeth joked as she, Kathleen and Martha came to stand next to us.

"They're letting us go back to our rooms, but we still don't know anything about the boys. The staff won't answer questions," Charlotte informed me.

"They haven't told us _anything_?" I asked, looking at my friends in surprise.

"Nothing," Kathleen confirmed.

Before I could ask any further questions, Mrs Thompson appeared next to Alice.

"Alice, how are you? I know you were quite close to those boys," she said sympathetically.

Alice did not give the pleasant and generic reply that I expected. Instead, she directly made her point.

"Mrs T-thompson, have they f-found the b-boys yet?"

"Now, Alice-" Mrs Thompson began.

But Alice wasn't taking no for an answer.

"P-please, Miss. Just t-tell us what you kn-know," Alice said.

Mrs Thompson looked around at us, before sighing heavily and indicating for us all to move to the corner with her.

"They did find them, they were in the storage basement, and they've been taken to the hospital," Mrs Thompson explained quietly, glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one else was listening. "But even I don't know who they found. That's all I can tell you girls, I'm sorry."

"That's alright, Miss. Thank you," Martha said.

Mrs Thompson nodded to us and then rejoined some of her colleagues on the other side of the room, probably before we changed our minds and asked her any more questions.

"Now what do we do?" Elizabeth asked.

"If I know Anna O'Brien at all, that face says she has a plan." said Kathleen, grinning at me.

"D-do you have a p-plan?" inquired Alice.

"Of sorts, yes," I confirmed.

"In other words, you're making this up as you go along, aren't you?" Martha said.

"I have an idea, I just don't know if it will work," I replied with a shrug.

"Hello, ladies. Is everything alright?"

Ryan and Daniel came over to stand next to Martha and Elizabeth. Both of them looked as if they had barely slept all night.

"We think we might have a plan to find out what's happened to the boys," Kathleen explained.

"You girls think fast," one of the twins joked.

"So, who'd like to explain?" the other asked.

"Anna was just about to do that," Elizabeth said.

Everyone turned to look at me, and it was then that I realised I was going to have to lead everyone if we were going to get answers.

"We know that we won't be able to get off campus, so we're just going to have to phone the hospital instead. They might be able to tell us what's going on," I explained.

"But they'll only give out details to family members, which none of us except Charlotte, Ryan and Daniel are," Elizabeth pointed out.

"I know, which is why I'm going to say that I'm Peter's sister and I have other family members with me. At least we'll know if some of the boys are alright," I said.

"It's as good a plan as any," said Kathleen with a shrug.

"But Anna, what if it was one of them who..." Martha wasn't able to finish her sentence.

"We won't find out by sitting around here, will we?"

Unsurprisingly, a few other students had beaten us to the five phones that Kingston allowed students to use to contact family in case of an emergency. It couldn't be denied that this was definitely classified as one. Everyone wanted to know if their families were safe, and I couldn't exactly blame them.

I had to wait for almost half an hour before a phone was finally free, and each passing minute only added to everyone's anxiety. My friends stood with me as we waited, but no one spoke.

I quickly dialled the number for the hospital, my heartbeat quick and erratic as the telephone rang while I waited for someone to answer.

"Hello, Kingston Memorial Hospital, this is Staff Nurse Adamson speaking. How can I help you?" A polite female voice addressed me, giving me a little more confidence than before.

"Hello, I believe that some of my friends were taken to the hospital last night from Kingston University after the bombing. Can you tell me if they're alright?" I asked, trying to keep my voice neutral and pleasant, despite my heart hammering against my chest as I gripped the phone.

"I'm afraid I can't give out any patient information over the phone. If you can come to the hospital, I may be able to help you," the Nurse explained.

"But one of them is my brother, and I have family members of the other boys next to me. Please, can you just tell us if they're alright?" I pleaded.

"I can't release any information since I can't confirm your identity and I don't have the consent of the patient, because there is no record of it on any of their files. I'm unable to tell you anything. I'm sorry," she replied.

"Nurse, my friends and I have spent the last few hours in the dark about whether or not our friends are alive. All I'm asking you to do is tell me if they're safe. I appreciate that you take your job seriously and I fully understand your situation, but I _need_ to know if these boys are alright," I insisted, utilising every negotiation technique Oreius had taught us.

But it wasn't enough this time.

"There's nothing I can do for you, Miss. I would like to help, but I can't. If you come down to the hospital, we might be able to give you more information," she said.

"But I can't get to the hospital. Please, all I'm asking-" I persisted, but the Nurse cut me off.

"I'm sorry, Miss. There's nothing I can do. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

I sighed, closing my eyes as another argument began to form in my throat. But Oreius had also taught us to know when to keep quiet and back down. I knew no matter how many times I asked, this woman wasn't going to give me the information I needed. Not now, at least.

"No, that's all. Thank you." I put the phone down and turned to look at my friends, who all looked as disappointed as I felt.

But I wasn't giving up yet.

"Ryan, Daniel, try to phone your family and get them to go the hospital if they can. They might be able to find out something," I said.

"Consider it done," Daniel answered, Ryan nodding in agreement with his brother.

I turned to Charlotte next.

"Charlotte, can you get in touch with Tom's parents? If they can come down to the hospital, they'll be able to get information."

"I think I remember their number," she said slowly.

"Good, just wait for the next telephone and contact them. I'll try to contact Peter's family."

I dialled the number for Peter's house, hoping that someone would pick up and know more about the situation than I did.

"Hello?" A familiar male voice greeted me, and I sighed with relief.

"Mr Pevensie?" I said, gripping the phone a little tighter.

"Yes, it is. Is that you, Anna?" he asked.

"Yes, it's me. I don't know if you've heard but..." I couldn't finish my sentence.

"Is something wrong?" he questioned, immediately sounding concerned.

"It's Peter," I said.

"What's happened?"

"You mean...you don't know?" I asked.

"Our telephone line has only been fixed for the last five minutes. You're the first person who has been able to contact us. It was damaged during the..." Mr Pevensie stopped abruptly, seeming to put two and two together.

"Anna, he's not...Peter isn't...he's still _alive_?" he choked.

I paused before giving my answer, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill over and trying to keep my control.

"I don't know," I said quietly.

"Tell me what's happened," Mr Pevensie said urgently.

"During the bombing last night...I don't know what happened, but Peter and some of the other boys didn't make it to the shelters in time," I explained. "A group were taken to the hospital, but we don't know who it was or if they're seriously injured or not. The hospital won't tell me anything, so I don't know if he's alright."

"They won't tell you _anything_?" he asked incredulously.

"No, they say that they can't," I answered.

"Those bloody hospitals," Mr Pevensie muttered. "Anna, we can't get to Kingston. The railway line was badly damaged and no trains are allowed to leave the station. We simply couldn't afford a taxi or bus. I'll telephone the hospital now and see if I can get any information from them, then I'll phone you right back. We'll work out what to do from there, ok?"

"Thanks, Mr Pevensie," I said.

"I'll speak to you soon."

I hung up, hesitating before I turned back to face my friends.

_Aslan, give me strength._

"Peter's dad is going to try and get something from the hospital. He'll phone back when he's finished," I explained to the people gathered around me.

"Our parents said the same," Daniel added.

"As did Tom's mum and dad," Charlotte said.

"So, we just wait?" Kathleen asked.

"We've done our part for now. It's all we can do," I said.

We all sat and waited in the common room, and it seemed we weren't the only ones who were maintaining a silence. The entire campus seemed to be eerily quiet. No one spoke as we all waited for the telephone to ring, knowing that one simple phone call could turn everything upside down in an instant.

The shrill blast of the reception desk telephone made everyone jump. My heartbeat immediately accelerated as I remained perfectly still in my seat, wondering if the caller was Mr Pevensie and if he would have any news.

Mrs Doyle, the receptionist who Peter and I had spoken to on our first day here, walked in to the room a few moments later.

"Is Anna O'Brien here?" she called, scanning the faces of the groups o students gathered in the common room.

"I'm over here," I answered, standing up and very aware of everyone watching me.

"There's a telephone call for you. Follow me please," Mrs Doyle instructed.

I ran after her, everyone else following closely behind me, and quickly picked up the receiver

"Hello?" I said nervously.

"Anna, it's me," Mr Pevensie said. "I've tried phoning the hospital, but we can't get a connection. The phone lines haven't been fully repaired yet," he explained.

_Damn it._

"There's nothing you can do then," I said.

But I still had one last card to play.

"I have one last option and that's to try and get to the hospital. I'll phone you as soon as I get any information," I promised.

"Thank you, Anna."

"Did you mean that?" Charlotte asked as I turned around to find everyone standing behind me.

"It's all we have left," I said.

"How do you plan on getting to the hospital?" asked Kathleen.

"I haven't thought of that yet," I admitted.

"One of us could pretend to be ill or pass out. They'd have to take at least one of us then," Martha said.

"I do believe this is where my drama skills come in," Elizabeth interjected with a smile.

_Now we're getting somewhere._

"Ok, Elizabeth can pretend to faint, and then-" I began.

But I was cut off by Kathleen suddenly crying out and running towards the front doors.

"Ben!" she screamed.

"What's h-happened?" Alice asked with confusion.

_It can't be._

"They're back," I said incredulously.

Walking through the front doors of the University were quite unmistakably Ben, Jack and John.

"Oh my god!" Martha cried.

"John!" Elizabeth shouted, running towards him.

"Jack! I'm going to kill you!" Martha roared as she launched herself at the boy, followed closely by Ryan and Daniel.

But there was no sign of Peter or Tom. Alice, Charlotte and I stayed rooted to the places we were standing on, looking at one other, knowing it was still possible that one of the boys could never walk through those doors again.

_Please, Aslan. Let them both walk through that door._

All three of us waited, none of us daring to take our eyes from the door. I'm quite certain that we were barely breathing, holding our breath as we waited for something that may never happen.

But then, two figures walked through the door, the taller of the two being supported by the other as he limped on his right leg.

Not that it stopped us.

"Peter!"

"Tom!"

The three of us called out simultaneously as we ran to the boys, almost knocking them over with the force of our hugs. Peter laughed quietly in my ear as I pulled him against me, but he too hugged me back as if it would take a lot of convincing just to let me go again.

_Thank you, Aslan. Thank you._

"Are you alright? You weren't badly hurt, were you?" I questioned, taking in the cut on his cheek and the bruise on his forehead.

"Just a few bruises and cuts. They had to keep us in for smoke inhalation, but we're all fine more or less," Peter said.

"I swear to Aslan, if you _ever_ scare me like that again..." I whispered.

"I won't, I promise. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere," Peter assured me, placing a kiss on my forehead.

"W-what did you d-do?" Alice asked Tom as she stepped back to allow Charlotte to greet him. She almost knocked Tom off his feet again with the force of her hug, but he didn't seem to mind as he hugged his cousin back.

"I sprained my ankle, but it should heal in a couple of days. It was just my luck that the hospital had run out of crutches for me to use," he said.

"How badly did we scare all of you?" John asked.

"Only about half to death," Elizabeth answered, rolling her eyes.

"Is that all?" Jack said, genuinely sounding disappointed as he fended off his two brothers as they tried to ruffle his hair.

"Of course not you idiot! We were practically planning your funerals!" Martha shouted, hitting his arm for good measure.

"Wait, if you're all here, then that means it was William who..." I trailed off, looking up at Peter.

"Yes, William's dead," Peter confirmed.

"Bloody hell," Martha muttered.

"What happened?" Kathleen asked.

"It's a _long_ story," Jack replied.

After all of the boys had contacted their families and assured them they were safe and well, we all sat underneath a large oak tree in the Kingston ground as the events of the previous night were finally revealed to us.

"The man was drunk. _Very_ drunk. Which only enhanced his charmingly violent qualities," Jack began.

"I don't know if he was waiting for us or not. Obviously he couldn't predict an air-raid, but he was definitely waiting for something," continued Tom. "When we came out of the rooms, he pulled out a pocket knife and started ranting about how we'd all ruined his life; but now he was going to get revenge.

"William had to stand against the wall, otherwise he'd fall over. That's how drunk he was. We tried to convince him to come with us, because not even we would leave him on his own during a bombing," said John. "But he refused to move until one of us fought him, which we were never going to do. Then, the bomb hit the side of the building, and that was it."

"Thank God we were standing away from him to avoid the knife, otherwise we might not have been so lucky," Ben added.

"We knew when we couldn't find him that he had been buried under the wall, and that there was nothing we could do. The man didn't stand much of a chance, really," Peter said. "We'd been outside for too long at that point and needed to find shelter, so we hid in the basement."

"There was no way we could get to the shelters; it was too dangerous to go outside and I doubt they would have opened the doors for us anyway. But we were lucky that none of us were seriously hurt," Tom finished.

_Too lucky._

"I do feel sorry for William. Sure, the guy was an asshole, but I don't think he deserved to die," Jack said.

"That's the thing about life; you never know when you're going to have everything taken away from you," I pointed out.

Peter looked down at me then, sensing the extra meaning behind my words that none of the others would ever know about. Our eyes locked briefly, Peter raising an eyebrow at me with a questioning look.

'_Later._' I mouthed.

"But that must have been awful; to watch someone die right in front of you and have no power to stop it," Kathleen said, shivering a little at the thought.

_It's a lot worse when you're the one doing it. Trust me, Kat._

"Have the police spoken to you yet?" Elizabeth asked.

"Not yet. They'll probably come round some time later today," John replied.

"Let's forget about it for now. We haven't done anything wrong so we have nothing to fear. They'll just ask us to give our accounts of what happened, check that they all match and that will be the end of it," Tom assured everyone.

We all looked at him in surprise, wondering how he was so confident about it.

"My dad's a lawyer. I know these things," he explained with a shrug.

"Remind me to be on my best behaviour when we're at your house," Ben joked.

"It won't be like that. He and my mother were actually very excited when I suggested bringing you all over during the summer," Tom said with a laugh.

"You must have a big house if it can fit all eleven of us, including your family," John said.

"Don't worry, there'll be plenty of space," Tom promised.

"I don't mind having to share a bedroom," Jack said, winking at Martha.

"Jack!" she exclaimed.

"I'm kidding, Martha," he assured her. But the mischievous look in his eye that we all knew well by now told us he was most definitely not joking.

"So you weren't serious when you told me you were literally going to sweep Martha off her feet this summer?" Peter asked seriously, raising an eyebrow at his friend.

"Peter is also joking," Jack said quickly.

"No, I'm not," he insisted, smirking at the other boy.

"Oh, shut up, Pevensie," Jack muttered, blushing a little as we all laughed.

"One year gone, and you're still as immature as before," Ben teased.

"Why thank you. I do believe that is a compliment," he responded with a wide grin.

"It's hard to believe a year's passed already," Tom reflected.

"Yeah, and that we've still got another three years with that idiot to go," John said, pointing to Jack, who retaliated by punching his friend on the arm while we all laughed again.

"My point is, time goes a lot faster than you think. Even if you think you have a lot of it," Tom reminded us.

_Well said._


End file.
